Early in the offseason, the Atlanta Braves were rumored to be a perfect fit for talented right-hander, Dylan Cease. However, a deal never came to fruition as the price for Chicago's top starter was a bit steep.
Alex Anthopoulos addressed a fan at Braves Fest who had a sign reading "Trade for Dylan Cease" and Atlanta's GM responded with "We tried! Too expensive." If Alex is saying that publicly, you know it's the truth. Instead, the Braves found other means to fill their need for another quality starting pitcher.
The rumors dissipated for a while but have started to heat back up in recent days. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic ($) reported that the Texas Rangers were nearing a deal for Cease but nothing came to fruition. Trade talks have been ongoing but nothing is imminent.
The Yankees are also said to be in pursuit of his services according to a report from Bob Nightengale from USA Today. With Gerrit Cole dealing with elbow discomfort and there being uncertainty about his return, Cease is a perfect avenue for New York to fill that potential void.
The Yankees, while awaiting news on Gerrit Cole, have re-engaged with the Chicago White Sox and made a new proposal for ace Dylan Cease, but the new offer once again did not include prized outfield prospect Spencer Jones.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 12, 2024
However, a deal being made will depend on who can meet the incredibly high price that White Sox GM Chris Getz has set for Dylan Cease. That price includes top prospects from any organization. If we look at it from a Braves perspective, that would have included trading away AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, Nacho Alavarez Jr., and prospects of that caliber.
That is an exorbitant amount to pay for a middle of the rotation arm. It makes complete sense why AA decided the better decision to make was trading away Vaughn Grissom to Boston and filling the need with Chris Sale. Instead of giving away multiple prospects, you give away one and hope Sale can return to form.
Anthopoulos was also able to get Sale before Spring Training and give the team certainty on what the top four of the starting rotation will look like. Imagine if Alex had waited for the price to fall on Cease and then Sale gets traded elsewhere. Instead of having a formidable rotation, Atlanta now has two question marks at the end of the rotation.
Ultimately, it was the right decision to move on from Dylan Cease even though he is a durable pitcher with a fairly affordable contract. The price to acquire his services just wasn't worth the investment. Sale has looked pretty good for Atlanta so far this spring, showing fans why AA believes that was the right move.
The Rangers and Yankees both have the prospect capital to get a deal done but New York hasn't wanted to include top prospect Spencer Jones in any deals so they'd have to change their tune on that front most likely. However, the Yankees have a plethora of great prospects to help them complete the deal.
Texas is still without Jordan Montgomery who still hasn't signed with a team so Cease would help boost their rotation as the World Champs haven't really done a lot this offseason to improve their team. They could bring back Montgomery but he will cost a bit more than a trade for Cease.
Both teams are the most likely landing spots for Chicago's ace but as we saw with the Atlanta Braves, at some point the cost isn't worth it. The White Sox seem content with waiting to find a trade partner this Summer if they need to. It will be interesting to see where he eventually lands.