Scott Boras gives the White Sox a reality check on Dylan Cease, which excites Braves fans.
Agent Scott Boras discussed Dylan Cease’s likelihood of staying with the White Sox, and his remarks will excite Braves supporters.
Especially after trading for injury-prone starters Kyle Wright and Mike Soroka this offseason, the Braves could use another pitcher. Agent Scott Boras expects Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease to be dealt as the team rebuilds, and Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says it would be a fun hometown fit:
In response to a question about whether he believes Dylan Cease will be traded this winter, Scott Boras stated, “It’s my belief that (the White Sox) will undoubtedly cross the bridge.” Whatever the likelihood, it would be an exciting hometown for Atlanta.
The Braves’ home field, Truist Park, is roughly twenty-five miles away from Milton High School, where Cease attended. The starting pitcher for the White Sox spends his offseasons in Woodstock.
Right now, the Braves are seen as the front-runners to sign Cease from Chicago.
Cease, who has a 3.54 ERA over the last three seasons, is being pursued by a number of teams, including the Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. With a 121 ERA+ after starting 97 games and striking out 667 batters, he has seen the White Sox go from a promising playoff contender to among the worst teams in baseball.
Charlie Morton, Bryce Elder, Max Fried, and Spencer Strider are the Braves’ current starting lineup members. If Cease is acquired by Atlanta, he will probably start behind Strider as the team’s second baseman, making up the greatest mustachioed 1-2 punch in Major League Baseball.
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Dylan Cease, the star pitcher for the White Sox, has been the most discussed front-line starter this offseason. Still, there’s no assurance that he’ll be dealt this offseason.
The White Sox are reportedly “pulling back” in trade talks involving Cease, but Jon Heyman points out that this could be because they are holding out for some other major dominos to fall in free agency, which would make other teams desperate and increase their offers to sign starting pitchers, which is pretty much every team hoping to be competitive next year.
The White Sox are in a very fortunate situation. Although there are other elite starting pitchers that might be traded, none of them have multiple years of control. Dylan Cease will probably be the target of a bidding war, and if the White Sox aren’t able to get their desired price, they may decide to walk away from the negotiation and try to trade him later—perhaps during the upcoming offseason or trade deadline.
It is my belief that the Braves have made inquiries and are sincerely attempting to negotiate a deal. They have the prospects to make it work, but it will require a haul to get Cease, possibly including the Braves’ top two prospects, Hurston Waldrep and AJ Smith-Shawver.
Dylan Cease is not a 50/50 chance to join the Braves. In fact, I think there’s a better than 50/50 chance that he gets traded this offseason. There will be no shortage of suitors, and the majority of them have more sophisticated farm systems than the Braves, so that’s something else to think about. The likelihood of Cease joining Atlanta is probably closer to 5–10%, and it mostly depends on how much Anthopoulos wants the White Sox ace. The Braves have the potential to put together a package to which Chicago would be foolish to say no.
