MLB rumors: Braves the Dylan Cease trade favorite

The Atlanta Braves are heading into the 2023 winter meetings with one of the best rosters in MLB but also one of the biggest appetites for improvement. There is no shortage of ways for the reigning NL East champions to add more talent. The one name they are being increasingly linked to is Dylan Cease.

The Chicago White Sox are in the midst of a rebuild and could trade their ace starting pitcher. Plenty of contenders are in the mix but one is starting to separate from the pack. The Braves are “the favorite” to trade for Cease during the winter meetings, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports.

After cutting bait with Mike Soroka and Kyle Wright in respective trades, the Braves are opening up space in the rotation that is projected to feature Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Bryce Elder and Charlie Morton in 2024. Cease, who would be either second or third in Atlanta’s rotation, did not enjoy a great 2023 season but has a lot of talent that could be unlocked in a better organization. Plus, the 27-year-old is a native of Milton, Georgia and the Braves already added one of his White Sox teammates, reliever Aaron Bummer.

The Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers are among the known pursuers of Cease, who owns a 3.54 ERA over the last three seasons. He has started 97 games and struck out 667 batters, tallying a 121 ERA+ as the White Sox went from up-and-coming playoff contender to one of the worst teams in the sport.

While the White Sox may be patient to trade Cease, the reality is that they will have to start a true rebuild soon. An aging pitcher has no part in it other than as a trade chip to add more names to the farm system. The Braves have taken advantage of the Oakland A’s firesale with the additions of Matt Olson and Sean Murphy and could do the same with Chicago.

The momentum is building for the Braves to pull off a Dylan Cease trade and head into the 2024 season with arguably the best rotation — and at least the most mustachioed — in all of baseball.