MLB Rumors: Braves rotation mess, Dylan Cease trade talks, Sasaki's shocking suitor

The biggest fish on both the free agent and trade markets are officially off the board. Juan Soto wound up signing a 15-year deal worth $765 million to join the New York Mets. He earned the richest contract a professional athlete has ever received.

Just days later, the biggest name on the trade market was officially moved, as Garrett Crochet was dealt to the Boston Red Sox. After years of waiting, Red Sox fans finally saw their team make a big move. Crochet is the ace that Boston has been searching for.

While the biggest names might be off the board, the offseason is still young. There are still several high-end free agents and trade candidates available for the taking, and the latest MLB rumors cover several of those players.

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MLB Rumors: Even the White Sox are trying to get involved in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes

With Soto off the board, Roki Sasaki might be the most intriguing free agent out there. He has been officially posted, and will sign sometime within the next month.

There are several reasons as to why Sasaki is such a fascinating free agent to keep tabs on. He's just 23 years old, has some of the best pure stuff on the planet, and put together some monster seasons in Japan. What makes him most interesting, though, is the fact that he was posted this offseason.

By choosing to make the move to MLB now, Sasaki is going to sign a minor league deal with a signing bonus instead of pursuing the big-money deal that Yoshinobu Yamamoto got last offseason. That simple fact makes him financially feasible for all 30 MLB teams.

Knowing this, there's reason to believe that all 30 teams will express some sort of interest in signing Sasaki. Even the Chicago White Sox - yes, the 41-win White Sox - plan on making a pitch to sign the right-hander.

Will it work? Almost certainly not. Sasaki has little reason to join a team like the White Sox when teams in better markets with better rosters and better pitching development will be delivering pitches of their own. Still, you can't fault them for trying!

MLB Rumors: Padres face a major Dylan Cease dilemma

The San Diego Padres made the biggest trade of last offseason, shipping Juan Soto away to the New York Yankees. In hindsight, the deal couldn't have worked out much better for San Diego. Sure, they lost a year of Soto, but acquired Michael King, Drew Thorpe (who later was flipped for Dylan Cease), Kyle Higashioka, and additional depth as well. Even without Soto, an argument could be made that they were the second-best team in all of baseball last season.

The Padres traded Soto not because they wanted to, but because they felt like they had to. They felt as if it was certain that he'd depart in free agency, and they didn't want to lose him for just a draft pick. Instead, they did a whole lot better than a draft pick, and saw Soto sign at a price they likely would've never considered approaching.

Now, the Padres find themselves in the same position with Dylan Cease. No, Cease isn't Soto, but he's a high-end starting pitcher who is entering his final year of club control. Do they keep him around and risk losing him for nothing or trade him to ensure that they get some sort of meaningful return? San Diego appears to be strongly considering the latter, according to Dennis Lim of The Athletic (subscription required).

"But like Soto a year ago, Cease is approaching his final season before free agency. Also like Soto, Cease will soon command a salary that could obstruct the Padres’ attempts to address multiple roster holes... It is in this environment that the Padres, according to league sources, are at least exploring the trade value of Cease," Lin wrote.

It's unclear as to whether San Diego can retain Cease past this season thanks to his likely lofty demands, but trading him would make a rotation that already lacks depth that much worse. The Padres do have Michael King and Yu Darvish under control for the 2025 season, but Joe Musgrove is expected to miss the entire season due to injury. If the season started today, Matt Waldron and Randy Vasquez would be their No. 4 and No. 5 starter - and that's with Cease.

Chances are, if the Padres get a worthwhile offer for Cease, they'll do it. Hopefully, said offer would include a pitcher or two, as Soto's did. If not, Cease might remain in San Diego, but with his free agency looming. They're in an uncomfortable spot, for sure.

MLB Rumors: Braves not prioritizing Charlie Morton reunion

When it was revealed that Charlie Morton was leaning towards pitching another season, it felt as if it was a matter of when, not if, the Atlanta Braves would bring him back. No, he isn't Max Fried, but Morton has been an integral part of Atlanta's rotation in each of the last four seasons. It's hard to envision a Braves rotation without him.

Well, according to David O'Brien of The Athletic (subscription required), a Morton reunion in Atlanta isn't nearly as likely as initially expected.

"League sources said the Braves are focused on filling multiple needs, including corner outfielder, back-end reliever and possibly middle-rotation starter. The team’s interest in Morton seems to have waned, or at least been put on the back burner. Morton is said to be open to offers from other teams," O'Brien wrote.

The Braves do need to address their corner outfield and could definitely use some more pitching help in addition to Morton, but still, not pursuing Morton - at least not yet - is fascinating.

He might not be an ace, but Morton is rock solid as a back-end starter. He posted a 4.19 ERA in 30 starts and 165.1 innings of work last season for Atlanta. He has made at least 30 starts and pitched at least 160 innings in each of his four seasons with Atlanta. It's really hard to find that kind of reliability that Morton brings, even if his ERA hovers around or a little over 4.00. He takes the ball every fifth day almost consistently despite the fact that he's now 41 years old.

Even with Max Fried gone, the Braves do have the makings of one of the best rotations in the National League with Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Schwellenbach locked in. There are some issues, though. Strider is expected to miss the beginning of the season as he recovers from injury. Guys like Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder, Ian Anderson, A.J. Smith-Shawver, and Hurston Waldrep have all shown flashes, but they don't have the track record Morton does.

The Braves could use a starter better than Morton to try and come closer to filling the void Fried left in his departure, but even with that, Morton feels like a good fit at the back of their rotation. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Braves re-think their stance when it comes to Morton, but for now, don't be surprised if he signs with a different team given Atlanta's reluctance to bring him back.