Dylan Cease, Atlanta in on Ohtani?, Winter Meeting updates…
The Braves didn’t make any moves on Monday, but they are smack dab in the middle of the rumor mill.
For fans of the Atlanta Braves, yesterday was an unusual day. When fans learned that Alex Anthopoulos had successfully negotiated a trade with the Mariners to send three players—including Jarred Kelenic and Marco Gonzales—to the Braves, they became aware of the development.
But the Braves’ wheeling and dealing appears far from over, as it appears they already have plans to trade Gonzales away.
The main focus of yesterday’s events was the contradicting reports from national journalists who persisted in highlighting the Braves’ involvement in several high-profile cases, while Braves beat writers responded with their own claims.
As an illustration, consider the Braves’ long-standing rumors of interest in Dylan Cease. Given their need to add a strong starter, the fit seems reasonable.
Mark Bowman, though, made a point of downplaying Atlanta’s role in Cease’s trade market.
It is undoubtedly the time of year when false information is most prevalent, but in this particular instance, it can be challenging to tell what is true.
A more obvious example would be the commotion surrounding Shohei Ohtani and the Braves.
Even if there are several reasons why a Braves pursuit of Ohtani, as talented as he is, doesn’t make much sense—Bowman was quick to cast doubt on the notion as well—that didn’t stop MLB’s Jon Morosi from hyping the Braves’ interest several times yesterday.
Although Morosi has a history of turning intriguing ideas into true rumors, yesterday’s report of the Braves’ activities and interests was notably diverse.
At the Winter Meetings, the one item that seems to divide everyone is how far forward the Braves are.
Atlanta is squarely at the center of a lot of things, regardless of how all of this Cease and Ohtani stuff turns out.
Marco Gonzales still needs to find a new home, and late last night, they learned that Seth Lugo was available as a free agency starting pitcher.
Although the Braves might not close any deals at the Winter Meetings, supporters can still anticipate that they will be busy over the remainder of the offseason.
MLB News
The second-ever Draft Lottery will take place today during the Winter Meetings, and coverage of it will begin at 5:30 PM EST. Based on their 2023 record, 17 of the 18 non-playoff teams have an equal probability of being selected in the top 6 of the 2024 draft.
At 18.3%, the Athletics, Royals, and Rockies have the best odds to select first overall. Because they participated in revenue sharing last year and received a lottery pick, the Nationals are not eligible to play this year.
In relation to Ohtani, his market appears to be thriving, and it appears that his team will soon make a decision regarding which team will have the honor of paying him more than half a billion dollars.
According to the most current information, Ohtani just met with the Blue Jays, but even with that, it appears like anyone may win in this game at the present, especially because it’s unclear how much money he has available.
There are still a lot of dominoes to fall, with Dylan Cease, Juan Soto, Shane Bieber, and other players available on the trade market in addition to the majority of the major free agents.
It appears that the offseason may extend into the Christmas holiday season and potentially even the new year. Nevertheless, at least a few should fall during the final few days of the winter meetings.
