MLB rumors: Braves on verge of trade for hometowner, Ohtani FA timeline, Dodgers hire Cruz, more
- The Dodgers have hired Nelson Cruz
- When Ohtani plans to make his decision on his next team
- The Braves could finally land their starting pitcher before the winter meetings
By Josh Wilson
Dylan Cease to be traded soon, Braves are front-runners
A Dylan Cease trade has been widely speculated for a few days now, but it sounds like we'll have official movement from the Chicago White Sox pretty soon. Jon Morosi reports that the trade is likely to go through before the Winter Meetings start on December 3.
Sources: Dylan Cease trade talks have intensified in the last 48 hours, and some people close to the negotiations believe a deal *before* the winter meetings is increasingly possible.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 29, 2023
Cease’s hometown Braves are among the finalists. @MLBNetwork @MLB
With that still several days away, the fact that talks have been intensifying specifically over the last 48 hours could indicate a trade is even closer to the finish line than Sunday. Maybe, we'll see some movement before the weekend hits and everyone is traveling to Nashville for the meets?
Morosi also indicates the Atlanta Braves are "among the finalists," and doesn't note any other specific teams that are engaged in discussions still. That would seem to indicate the Braves are pure front-runners, though Morosi does not say that.
Cease graduated from Milton High School in Georgia and would surely like to get himself home. He's continued to perform well as a starting pitcher with the Chicago White Sox despite Chicago, as a whole, struggling to keep itself on track. Barrelling toward an all-out teardown, the Sox are looking to trade any and all pieces of value left to likely tear down to the studs and re-assess the team entirely.
Cease was thought to be a potential trade piece last year, but wound up sticking around in Chicago through the trade deadline. He started an American League-leading 33 games and had a rock-solid 3.72 FIP. His WHIP was as bit over the 1.1 you love to see from an ace pitcher at 1.418, but he still racked up over 200 strikeouts and projects to be a winning and consistent starting pitcher for any team that can put a decent defense behind him.
After the Braves missed out on Aaron Nola and Sonny Gray, Cease is likely the best remaining option. Atlanta's pitching was its biggest weakness in 2023, and it kept them from advancing past the NLDS. It's their clearest deficiency, and one they need to figure out sooner, rather than later. Getting this done before Winter Meetings would allow general manager Alex Anthopoulos to focus on fringe moves to make the roster better for 2024.
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