The dominoes have slowly started to fall for big name trade targets and free agents this winter, and while the Atlanta Braves have mostly done minor acquisitions so far this winter, they might have just emerged as one of the favorites to land one of the biggest names on the trade market this offseason.

According to Bob Nightengale, the Braves and Baltimore Orioles are considered the front runners to land Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease. The 27-year-old pitcher has two years of team control left on his contract before he enters free agency, and the Braves are hot in the mix to add him to their starting rotation via trade.

Nightengale, who said the White Sox have been shopping Cease, also mentioned that the team was reportedly “disappointed” with the Los Angeles Dodgers trade aquisition of Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow, as the Dodgers sent the young, talented pitcher Ryan Pepiot to the Rays as part of the Glasnow trade, which the White Sox had interest in during earlier trade discussions with the Dodgers.

Cease, a native of Milton, GA, had a bit of an underwhelming season in 2023, going 7-9 across 33 starts with a 4.58 ERA and 1.418 WHIP. However, he had a career best season in 2022, putting up a 2.20 ERA and 1.109 WHIP while finishing second in AL Cy Young voting. The Braves also have a great pitching staff that can help him get back to his 2022 level.

Cease’s young age along with his extra year of team control makes him a valueable trade assett this offseason. However, if the Braves and Orioles truly are the leaders to land him, the biggest problem is that the Orioles easily have better prospects to offer in exchange for Cease than the Braves, as the White Sox will likely ask for a high price in trade talks for the young pitcher.

Even with Baltimore’s questionable ownership descions, the Orioles, who finished first in the AL East with a 101-61 record despite a $63 million payroll in 2023 , may have emerged as the biggest threat to the Braves in talks to acquire Dylan Cease. Only time will tell if Alex Anthopoulos will be willing to give up the prospects and trade capital that will likley be required to get Cease to Atlanta.