If the Braves don't re-sign Max Fried, these 6 aces could replace him
By Mark Powell
3. Braves should trade for White Sox ace Dylan Cease
Dylan Cease remains available for trade if the Braves are willing to pay the White Sox asking price. Thus far, no team has balked at Chris Getz ask, which is why he remains with the Sox and the team has said they expect him to be their Opening Day starter.
Cease is a tremendous talent, but he struggles with his control at times and is coming off a rough year by his standards. At his best, Cease can be a Cy Young finalist. At his worst, he can't find the strike zone.
That potential is why, eventually, some contender will likely overpay for Cease's services. If Getz is willing to wait until the MLB trade deadline, he can receive a prospect haul that'll jumpstart the White Sox rebuild. This is all dependent on Cease pitching well in 2024, of course, but there's little reason to expect much else.
The Braves don't have a great farm system, and any trade for Cease could require them to part ways with Waldrep or Smith-Shawver. Cease would replace Fried and then some, though.
2. Braves could trade for Guardians ace Shane Bieber
With Corbin Burnes off the market, the Cleveland Guardians asking price for Shane Bieber just went up some. However, it's universally known that Bieber's fastball velocity has decreased some in recent years.
Entering his age-29 season, Bieber can throw a solid 93 MPH heater, and is no longer the strikeout artist he once was. However, what Bieber has improved on the last few years is nibbling at the corners, and keeping hitters honest with his secondary pitches.
Bieber was 6-6 with a 3.80 ERA last season. He's set to enter MLB free agency once the year is over, so the Braves could either trade for him or sign him next winter.
A trade at the deadline could happen if Atlanta's bottom-of-the-rotation options are unexpectedly failing them. Much like Fried, Bieber does not rely on high velocity stuff. Atlanta's pitching coaches known how to teach around that flaw, however, which could help Bieber extend his prime.