For much of the early part of the offseason, Dylan Cease was a name that was constantly connected to the Braves. Ultimately, they decided to pivot to Chris Sale from the Red Sox, who were willing to eat almost half of his salary in return for Vaughn Grissom.
Sale has the potential to become a fan favorite in Atlanta quickly. He can earn his way to the Hall of Fame with a few good seasons to end his career and is an infectious personality with a competitive fire in his belly that few can match. However, his age and health have to be considered. Sale is in his mid-30s and hasn’t had a fully healthy season since 2018.
Meanwhile, Dylan Cease isn’t even 30-years-old yet, in the prime of his career, and has been a workhorse for the White Sox in recent years. There is a reason why Chicago has yet to trade him. Guys that talented in the prime of their careers don’t come available very often, and the White Sox aren’t going to move him until they receive a king’s ransom.
Perhaps another team pulls the trigger on Chicago’s lofty asking price, but it won’t be the Braves. Over the weekend at Braves Fest, a comical moment ensued when Alex Anthopoulos was on 680 The Fan, as a couple of fans held up some trade targets for the Braves general manager to consider. One of them was Dylan Cease, and in atypical fashion, Anthopoulos actually acknowledged them by saying he already tried but the asking price was too expensive.
The interaction is gold, but I am a bit surprised Anthopoulos actually acknowledged the Braves’ interest. He’s usually one that keeps everything close to the vest, which is a sign there are no ongoing conversations and will not be anytime soon.
Dylan Cease would have been a home run acquisition for Atlanta to fill out their rotation, but as I said earlier, there’s a reason he still hasn’t been traded. With two years remaining on his contract, the White Sox hold all of the leverage right now. They can hang on and wait until the trade deadline if needed when teams are a little more desperate.
The Braves never act out of desperation… ever. The acquisition of Chris Sale could turn out to be just as impactful, and it only cost them Vaughn Grissom, who didn’t really have a spot to play in Atlanta.
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