Alex Anthopoulos confirms Braves tried to trade for Dylan Cease

For much of the early part of the offseason, Dylan Cease was a name that was constantly connected to the Braves. Ultimately, they decided to pivot to Chris Sale from the Red Sox, who were willing to eat almost half of his salary in return for Vaughn Grissom.

Sale has the potential to become a fan favorite in Atlanta quickly. He can earn his way to the Hall of Fame with a few good seasons to end his career and is an infectious personality with a competitive fire in his belly that few can match. However, his age and health have to be considered. Sale is in his mid-30s and hasn’t had a fully healthy season since 2018.

Meanwhile, Dylan Cease isn’t even 30-years-old yet, in the prime of his career, and has been a workhorse for the White Sox in recent years. There is a reason why Chicago has yet to trade him. Guys that talented in the prime of their careers don’t come available very often, and the White Sox aren’t going to move him until they receive a king’s ransom.

Perhaps another team pulls the trigger on Chicago’s lofty asking price, but it won’t be the Braves. Over the weekend at Braves Fest, a comical moment ensued when Alex Anthopoulos was on 680 The Fan, as a couple of fans held up some trade targets for the Braves general manager to consider. One of them was Dylan Cease, and in atypical fashion, Anthopoulos actually acknowledged them by saying he already tried but the asking price was too expensive.