3 moves Braves can make to keep up with Dodgers in the NL after Shohei Ohtani signing

1. Trade for Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease

The one player I think could make Braves Country happy Atlanta could realistically deal for would be Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease. The Milton native has been tied to Atlanta all offseason, as the South Siders look to rebuild again, I guess. Chicago wants to move him, and having another hometown hero joining the Braves would play well within the Atlanta fanbase. Make it happen.

I think once Ohtani signed with the Dodgers, it was always going to open up the rest of impending offseason activity. Cease, along with Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers, feel increasingly likely to be dealt before spring training. While the Dodgers may have one of the best lineups in baseball, the Braves have the better pitching staff, albeit one that has not been up to snuff the last two Octobers...

To me, it is all about incremental and strategic growth for Atlanta in terms of overall team-building. Anthopoulos is not about to overpay for a depreciating asset, but he has shown that he will pony up some cash when the finds a deal he likes. While he has been willing to spend on every-day position players, he has yet to pay an absurd amount of money to a starting pitcher outside the organization.

Now that the Ohtani sweepstakes has run its course, it can pave the way to bring Cease back home.