Braves Rumors: Anthopoulos surprise, Braves trade assets, Cease package
By Mark Powell
Atlanta Braves rumors: Grading a possible trade package for Dylan Cease
After missing out on Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola, the Atlanta Braves are on their third option to improve their starting rotation. Most backup plans are underwhelming. However, Dylan Cease is anything but that, as I wrote this week.
"Much of Anthopoulos's urgency to acquire a high-end starting pitcher this offseason is due to the likelihood that the Braves lose both Charlie Morton and Max Fried next winter. Fried will be a free agent, and extension talks have not gone according to plan thus far, despite an injury suffered by Fried this season which kept him out several months. Morton is on the wrong side of 40 and just opted into the final year of his contract, but any commitment beyond that is anyone's guess."
Cease is coming off a down year by his standards, but he's just a season removed from being the AL Cy Young runner-up. He has two years left on his current contract, as well, which makes him a controllable asset for Anthopoulos. If the two sides can agree to an extension, then it provides the Braves with a roadmap for life after Morton and potentially Fried.
Sports Illustrated put together a mock trade package for Cease, which included AJ Smith-Shawver, Dylan Dodd, Vaughn Grissom and Owen Murphy. Assuming the White Sox prefer a prospect-laden trade package to ramp up their rebuild, this is likely the Braves can offer without including Hurston Waldrep.
It's unclear if the names involved would be enough from Chicago's perspective, but if not, there's no trade to make here.