The Atlanta Braves struggled with pitching depth during the entire 2024 season.
Though they had a solid top four to their starting rotation, the injury to Spencer Strider made the final slot a huge question mark. In free agency this winter, the Braves have lost both Max Fried and Charlie Morton without replacing either starter. They’ll need to swing a massive trade to replace this talented duo.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer recently predicted the Braves would acquire San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease in a blockbuster trade. Cease is entering the final year of his contract and is projected to sign for $108 million in free agency next winter, per Spotrac.
Here’s the full deal pitched by Rymer that would send Cease to the Braves:
- Atlanta Braves receive: RHP Dylan Cease
- San Diego Padres receive: RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (No. 2 prospect), C Drake Baldwin (No. 5 prospect)
“The 26-year-old is less than a year removed from major elbow surgery, but David O’Brien of The Athletic reported that the strikeout-happy righty is ‘expected to have more or less a normal spring training.’ If so, he could return early in 2025,” Rymer wrote. “This said, the uncertainty in Atlanta’s rotation is palpable. Max Fried and Charlie Morton are gone, after all.
“And in addition to Strider’s durability, the Braves should also be worried about Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale’s age. He’ll turn 36 on March 30.
This proposal would be a heavy price to pay from the Braves’ perspective, but Cease need not be a one-year fix. This is a franchise that loves its extensions.” This would be a steep price for the Braves to pay to land Cease, but it would certainly be worth it if they could lock him down on an extension.
Baldwin, though talented, has Sean Murphy ahead of him in Atlanta. Smith-Shawver, though talented, would have a plethora of young talent ahead of him, especially with Cease joining the Braves in this deal. If Cease doesn’t sign an extension, the Braves could look back on this deal with quite a bit of regret, though.
