Dylan Cease's name has been the one on everyone's lips for the past 10 or so days, and it seems like we'll finally have an answer as to his next destination sooner rather than later. At the beginning of November, Chris Getz created a quiet frenzy around the Chicago White Sox's two biggest players, Cease and Luis Robert Jr., by announcing that no one was safe from the team's attempts to rebuild, even if it meant giving up everyone on the existing roster to do so.
The Dodgers were the first to really put the possibility of a Cease trade on the map, though the Braves also quickly emerged as strong contenders. This was all reported, however, without anything resembling a timeline, leaving onlookers to speculate wildly about the possibility of Cease's addition to multiple other teams.
Thanks to JP Morosi, we now have a bit more of a timeline and a frontrunner to put money on.
Sources: Dylan Cease trade talks have intensified in the last 48 hours, and some people close to the negotiations believe a deal *before* the winter meetings is increasingly possible.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 29, 2023
Cease’s hometown Braves are among the finalists. @MLBNetwork @MLB
A Dylan Cease trade to Braves could be just around the corner
The last time verbiage like "intensified" was used in regard to a major transaction or signing, the Phillies were "moving closer" to signing Aaron Nola on Nov. 19, and they ended up signing him later that very same day. The Morosi tweet indicates that the clock has started now, and it could keep us waiting for just a few more hours or just a few more days. Either way, Cease now seems guaranteed to be leaving Chicago.
The question that's left is this: What could the White Sox get in return? As their biggest trade chip aside from Luis Robert Jr. and perhaps Eloy Jiménez, it seems unlikely that the White Sox would settle for any less than three players, akin to their earlier trade with Atlanta for Mike Soroka, Nicky Lopez, and three other players in return for reliever Aaron Bummer. MLB Trade Rumors has already thrown out a few names who could be headed to Chicago from Atlanta in exchange for Cease — AJ Smith-Shawver, Dylan Dodd, and Vaughn Grissom among them.
So, here we go. The clock's already started, all we have to do is sit back and wait.