The Atlanta Braves still haven’t replaced Max Fried. Maybe they’re just biding their time.
Fried, a former two-time Braves All-Star, walked to the New York Yankees and left Atlanta one arm short of an excellent rotation. Unless they want to depend on someone who was in Triple-A last year, the Braves have one more move to make.
Perhaps the Braves are ill-inclined to spend big money on a free agent, given how little they seemed to try for a Fried reunion. Does that signal that a trade is coming instead?
Recently, Christopher Kline of FanSided suggested that the Braves could deal for San Diego Padres star Dylan Cease, the subject of numerous trade rumors this winter. Cease, entering his final year of arbitration, is projected for a $14 million salary in 2025 (Spotrac).
“Cease is a workhorse, with at least 32 starts and 165 innings in each of the last four seasons,” Kline wrote. For a Braves team that was ravaged by injuries throughout 2024, Cease’s history of durability ought to be appealing.”
“If the Braves can muster the financial liquidity to re-sign Cease next winter, even better.”
Cease, 29, had a 3.47 ERA and finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting in 2024. Two years prior, he had a 2.20 ERA for the Chicago White Sox and finished runner-up in the American League. He also no-hit the Washington Nationals last season.
Cease will be a free agent after next season, as Kline alludes to in his piece. Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos traded for and extended Cy Young winner Chris Sale last winter, but Cease is younger and will be looking for a longer deal.
That’s the central question in all of this: Will Anthopoulos take on the risk of trading for a highly-prized rental? If so, Cease could make the Braves upper echelon World Series favorites heading into the season.
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