Atlanta Braves fans are starting to become a little impatient with beloved general manager Alex Anthopoulos. While the departures of starting pitchers Max Fried and Charlie Morton came as no surpirse, it was expected that Anthopoulos would have replacements lined up.

It is mid-January and the only moves the Braves have made to this point have been minor league transactions. Crunch time starts now for Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves’ front office staff. To keep Atlanta in the category of World Series contenders, the starting rotation is going to have to be addressed. David O’Brien, the Braves beat writer for The Athletic believes he has the answer.

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There are two things the Braves are notorious for – signing players from ‘Braves country’ and taking advantage of contracts that are about to expire. Dylan Cease fits the bill in both instances. David O’Brien points out that Cease is scheduled to earn $13.75 million next season before becoming a free agent in 2026 and that Cease was born in Milton, GA.

Cease is coming off a 14-11 season with a 3.47 ERA and finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting. Adding Cease to a rotation that already has Chris Sale and Spencer Strider when at full strength could be an X-factor for the Braves in 2025.

With Cease only having one year left on his contract, it feels like $13.75 million is a fair price to take a chance on for Alex Anthopoulos. Of course Atlanta would still have to fill another rotation spot and could also use an upgrade in left field. Anthopoulos’ plan regarding those two needs could determine if Atlanta will target Cease or not.

The Braves farm system could also use some work, so trading from an already-depleted aspect of the organization would take some guts.