Blockbuster Braves trade proposal from Bleacher Report has a fundamental flaw

Other than some minor signings as we get into spring training, it is probably safe to guess that the Atlanta Braves won't be adding any more impact free agents. The pool of desirable options is dwindling significantly and after signing Jurickson Profar, there has been little indication that the Braves have been entertaining any of the bigger names left. Crazier things have happened, but free agency does appear to over for Atlanta.

That does not mean that the Braves won't make some waves before the start of the 2025 season, however. Atlanta has been a rumored landing spot for Padres starter Dylan Cease for much of the offseason and there has been some whispers that Atlanta has talked to San Diego pretty recently. Among the potentially available arms, Cease seems to fit the mold of a guy Atlanta would target the most.

Bleacher Report recently made a series of Cease trade proposals that indeed included the Braves. While their rationale mostly made sense as to why such a trade could happen, it possessed one important flaw that might make a Cease trade dead on arrival in Atlanta.

Bleacher Report's Dylan Cease trade package for the Braves ignores the reality of dealing with Scott Boras

In the proposed trade, the Braves would give up top prospect Drake Baldwin as well as AJ Smith-Shawver in exchange for Cease's final year of team control. The rationale behind the trade is that the Braves have lost both Max Fried and Charlie Morton this offseason (definitely true) and that adding Cease would cover a lot of innings and give Atlanta another potential frontline starter (also true) that they could try to give an extension to.

Paying that kind of price for one-year of Cease is defensible in a world where you can extend the player. The Braves haven't been afraid to take gambles on expiring contracts, but we have never seen Alex Anthopoulos give up premium talent in trades for guys that have so little team control. An extension changes the calculus a good bit and if that was/is the plan, so be it.

However, Bleacher Report ignores that Cease's agent is Scott Boras as there is almost no world where Cease is going to agree to an extension. Boras' MO is that his clients generally make it to free agency and they go to the highest bidder. For that reason, the Braves usually don't sign Boras clients at all as they prefer to spread their money around their roster.

Without the realistic chance of extending Cease, giving up Baldwin and Smith-Shawver for a rental is much less appetizing. The Braves should still be looking at Cease to be sure, but it may be smarter to only entertain it at a lower price point unless Cease is more willing to get locked up long-term than it initially appears.

More Braves News from House That Hank Built