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By Shaun McAvoy
Contributing Sports Writer
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One of the Atlanta Braves' biggest priorities this offseason needs to be improving their starting rotation.
The Braves had a disastrous season. After seven straight seasons making it to the postseason, including a 2021 World Series win, Atlanta missed the playoffs this year with a 76-86 record. The Braves' pitching staff struggled this season, ranking in the bottom third in the league with a 4.36 ERA despite having promising arms in their rotation, including Chris Sale and Spencer Strider, and could use another innings-eater.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden listed the Braves as a potential fit to land San Diego Padres hurler Dylan Cease in free agency this offseason.
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"Cease has started 32 or more games in each of the last five seasons, striking out more than 200 batters each year while logging between 165 and 190 innings," Bowden wrote Monday. "This season, he led NL starters in strikeouts per nine innings (11.5) but also saw his walk total increase and his ERA jump to 4.55. His HR/9 also rose from 0.9 in 2024 to 1.1 this year.
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"The wobble in command is a concern, but his ability to miss bats, durability and career FIP of 3.67 will have several contending teams lining up to bid for his services."
Though he has surprisingly never been named an All-Star, Cease is one of the best pitchers in the league and has been a Cy Young award finalist. The 29-year-old hurler regressed slightly, posting a 4.55 ERA, but still struck out batters at a consistent rate, recording 215 strikeouts this season.
You can never have enough starting pitching, but the price tag on Cease is not going to be cheap. The veteran hurler is projected to land a monster contract in free agency, a six-year deal worth nearly $200 million, which would make him the Braves' most expensive player. Despite the hefty price tag, signing Cease would give Atlanta one of the best rotations in all of baseball.
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