One trade, one signing Braves should make.
MLB NEWS: Signing Deal Concluded A Player Has Been Signed.
The Atlanta Braves rode a historic offense to a 104-win regular season but saw their bats go silent against the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series.
While they’re well-positioned to win the National League East for a seventh consecutive season, the Braves need to make further improvements to feel comfortable about their World Series potential.
Here’s one trade and one signing the Braves should make this offseason.
Trade: Acquire White Sox RHP Dylan Cease
With arguably the top offensive core in MLB locked up for the better part of the next decade, the Braves can turn their full attention toward their starting rotation.
Atlanta has Cy Young Award hopefuls in left-hander Max Fried and right-hander Spencer Strider leading its staff, but it could stand to gain from adding another quality arm since the rest of the rotation has concerns.
RHP Charlie Morton will be entering his age-40 season, and despite being an All-Star last season, right-hander Bryce Elder is difficult to trust after posting a dreadful 5.11 second-half ERA.
Newly-minted White Sox GM Chris Getz has made it clear there “are no untouchables” on his roster and even made Cease available earlier this offseason before “pulling back” on trade talks, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
However, Heyman believes Chicago is waiting out the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes before pursuing a Cease deal further, stating there’s “a good chance” the 27-year-old is on the move.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Braves were considered a finalist for Cease, and now that fellow National League powerhouse Dodgers added Shohei Ohtani, it’d be wise for GM Alex Anthopoulos to revisit a deal.
Cease, who is under team control for the next two seasons, struggled mightily in 2023, posting a 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 177 innings. However, Cease’s 10.88 strikeouts per nine innings (the sixth-best in MLB) provide reason for optimism that he might be able to return to ace form.
Signing: Ink LHP Max Fried to long-term extension
Not all 100-win teams can improve on such a large scale as the Dodgers, which is why Atlanta has gotten creative by assuming — and flipping — bad contracts to acquire depth pieces like outfielder Jarred Kelenic and infielder David Fletcher.
Since there are few areas in need of significant overhauling, it’d be an opportune time to lock up another homegrown star on a long-term deal like the Braves have become accustomed to doing.
The typically durable Fried was anything but in 2023, with three separate trips to the injured list limiting him to 14 regular starts. Nonetheless, Fried’s performance wasn’t hindered by the setbacks, as he posted an 8-1 record with a 2.55 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 77.2 innings while collecting 80 strikeouts.
Spotrac’s calculated market value projects Fried to sign a six-year, $162.7 contract based on past comparable free-agent signings. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported last month that the Braves offered essentially the same contract as Spotrac’s projection for Fried to Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola.
Considering Fried has been a better pitcher than Nola when healthy, Atlanta should commit to the southpaw this winter rather than risk him raising his price with a dominant 2024 season.
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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried (54) Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports
One trade, one signing Braves should make
The Atlanta Braves rode a historic offense to a 104-win regular season but saw their bats go silent against the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series.
While they’re well-positioned to win the National League East for a seventh consecutive season, the Braves need to make further improvements to feel comfortable about their World Series potential.
Here’s one trade and one signing the Braves should make this offseason.
Trade: Acquire White Sox RHP Dylan Cease
With arguably the top offensive core in MLB locked up for the better part of the next decade, the Braves can turn their full attention toward their starting rotation.
Atlanta has Cy Young Award hopefuls in left-hander Max Fried and right-hander Spencer Strider leading its staff, but it could stand to gain from adding another quality arm since the rest of the rotation has concerns.
RHP Charlie Morton will be entering his age-40 season, and despite being an All-Star last season, right-hander Bryce Elder is difficult to trust after posting a dreadful 5.11 second-half ERA.
Newly-minted White Sox GM Chris Getz has made it clear there “are no untouchables” on his roster and even made Cease available earlier this offseason before “pulling back” on trade talks, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
However, Heyman believes Chicago is waiting out the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes before pursuing a Cease deal further, stating there’s “a good chance” the 27-year-old is on the move.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Braves were considered a finalist for Cease, and now that fellow National League powerhouse Dodgers added Shohei Ohtani, it’d be wise for GM Alex Anthopoulos to revisit a deal.
Cease, who is under team control for the next two seasons, struggled mightily in 2023, posting a 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 177 innings. However, Cease’s 10.88 strikeouts per nine innings (the sixth-best in MLB) provide reason for optimism that he might be able to return to ace form.
Signing: Ink LHP Max Fried to long-term extension
Not all 100-win teams can improve on such a large scale as the Dodgers, which is why Atlanta has gotten creative by assuming — and flipping — bad contracts to acquire depth pieces like outfielder Jarred Kelenic and infielder David Fletcher.
Since there are few areas in need of significant overhauling, it’d be an opportune time to lock up another homegrown star on a long-term deal like the Braves have become accustomed to doing.
The typically durable Fried was anything but in 2023, with three separate trips to the injured list limiting him to 14 regular starts.
Nonetheless, Fried’s performance wasn’t hindered by the setbacks, as he posted an 8-1 record with a 2.55 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 77.2 innings while collecting 80 strikeouts.
Spotrac’s calculated market value projects Fried to sign a six-year, $162.7 contract based on past comparable free-agent signings.
Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported last month that the Braves offered essentially the same contract as Spotrac’s projection for Fried to Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola.
Considering Fried has been a better pitcher than Nola when healthy, Atlanta should commit to the southpaw this winter rather than risk him raising his price with a dominant 2024 season.
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One trade, one signing Red Sox should make
With Craig Breslow taking over as chief baseball officer following Chaim Bloom’s dismissal, the Boston Red Sox hope to regain relevance this offseason.
However, with the ever-growing force that is the American League East, Boston has an uphill battle to avoid a third straight last-place division finish. Here’s one trade and one signing the Red Sox should make this winter.
Trade: Acquire Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco After 10 players combined to post the fourth-fewest wins above replacement at the position among teams last season (0.0), Boston intends to prioritize adding a second baseman this offseason.
Speaking to reporters last week, Breslow indicated that he’d prefer to use the trade market to find his solution and is targeting a “strong defensive second baseman,” per The Athletic’s Chad Jennings and Jen McCaffrey.
Although Polanco doesn’t necessarily fit that description, he’s a clear upgrade, and according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, Minnesota “received increased trade interest” at last week’s winter meetings centered around the switch-hitting infielder.
With top shortstop prospect Marcelo Mayer expected to be promoted to the majors as early as late 2024, Boston doesn’t need a long-term answer at second base, as the role will eventually belong to Trevor Story.
Since Polanco is set to make $10.5 million next season and has a $12 million club option for 2025, he could be the Red Sox’s most suitable option timeline-wise.
Despite injuries limiting him to 80 games last season, Polanco was still an above-average hitter, posting a 118 wRC+ (MLB average is 100) with a .789 OPS, 14 home runs and 48 RBI.
Boston surely wouldn’t mind sacrificing some defense as long as the 30-year-old’s bat remains consistent, especially considering its second basemen ranked 22nd in combined OPS in 2023 (.663). Signing: Ink LHP Jordan Montgomery Boston’s biggest need this offseason is unquestionably starting pitching, given that it finished 2023 with the fifth-worst team ERA (4.52) and WHIP (1.34) in the AL.
While the Red Sox are in contention for several top arms on the market, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports they might “have a slight edge” to sign Montgomery.
The left-hander, who posted a 3.20 ERA and 3.56 FIP for the Cardinals and Rangers last season, has been living in Boston this offseason after his wife began her dermatology residency at a local hospital.
It’s unclear whether that development will impact Montgomery’s free-agent process, but having him spend an offseason in Boston should only aid the Red Sox in negotiations.
If Montgomery is comfortable and can envision himself living in the city, it won’t be difficult to sell him on playing at Fenway Park, a venue where he has a 2.42 ERA and 1.21 WHIP dating back to 2021.
Throughout his career, Montgomery has continuously limited damage and eaten innings, which is all one can hope for from a starting pitcher.
Montgomery has finished with a sub-3.90 ERA every season of his career, and he has surpassed the 157-inning threshold in each of the past three seasons, including a career-high 188.2 innings pitched last season.
Boston would greatly benefit from adding such a reliable arm to its rotation after having just t
wo starters toss more than 110 innings in 2023.
