steveno89

Sweeney is a legitimate prospect and does not require being added to the 40 man roster Dodgers needed to free up two 40 man spots for Ohtani and Kelly, so this helps them with that

I agree Years seemingly matter less than getting the AAV down to a reasonable amount. It's rare for a top end pitching prospect to hit free agency at age 25 like this, so the numbers could get absurd. Free agents signing for gigantic money should only aid the Sox in negotiating a Cease deal with clubs that miss out and/or cannot spend at the top of the market

MLBExecutiveBurner @HotStoveintel Logic would dictate Reds will utilize one of their young position players to acquire an impact SP. Noelvi Marte or Encarnacion-Strand. I'd assume it's Marte with Jeimer Candelario signed as a Bridge to (ideally) Cam Collier. Reds getting aggressive is great for Baseball. I could certainly see a deal with the Reds materializing as they look to contend in the NL Central Plenty of interesting packages could be put together

Ortiz is not good enough to headline that deal I like Beavers, but look at the package the Reds received for Luis Castillo in 2022 as a template. Cease has an additional half season of control more than Castillo had at the time.

Several of the Orioles top prospects are relatively old and they may be wise to cash in on them Joey Ortiz is blocked and turns 26 this summer Kjerstad turns 25 in February McDermott turns 26 in August The Orioles are a starting pitcher injury or two away from having a disaster on their hands as minor league pitching depth is pretty thin

A left handed pitcher seems like a solid use of a rule five draft pick While it is unlikely he can stick as a starter, transitioning him into a reliever could work out as well

Baltimore prospect strength is with position players, may of which are entering their mid twenties right now. They seriously lack pitching depth in the minor leagues and it would make a ton of sense to cash some of those prospects to fill an immediate need. Just because Cease has not been dealt yet does not mean there is a lack of demand out there. Sox will likely wait until free agent dominos fall to have a club pony up.

Sox farm is lacking big time overall, no doubt Take a look at a deep farm, like the Dodgers for example, compared to the Sox and it shows you how far they need to come.

Cease is the obvious candidate to be dealt, but I do wonder if the Sox entertain the idea of dealing Robert this offseason? I doubt they do with four more seasons of control short of a gigantic offer. 2024 and 2025 look terrible as things stand right now, it would be wise to put all efforts towards 2026 contention with a quick rebuild.

I take everything Levine says with a grain of salt, but this would indicate the Sox may prefer younger prospects vs. ones that are closer to the MLB. This makes sense because the Sox are not close to being competitive in the next season or two. I am not sold that the Sox can receive two pitching prospects as the headliners in a deal though. So much risk.

No pressing reason to move Robert right now short of a ludicrous offer. With four more seasons of control it may be hard to get fair value for him.

No. Sox will want a package of younger players/prospects

"Rangers: Wyatt Langford, Brock Porter, Justin Foscue" That would be a hell yes deal Doubtful the Rangers would go to that level though "Cubs: Cade Horton, Owen Caissie and Matt Mervis" I like this a lot too "Diamondbacks: Jordan Lawler and Brandon Pfaadt" This would be great, but I doubt AZ would be willing to include Lawler I see the Braves as leverage too, not as a real finalist

Now we are cooking

Light or way too heavy on older prospects Cease is their biggest trade chip unless they shockingly decided to auction off Robert. I just cannot see them cashing him in for 25 year old prospects vs. looking to acquire younger, premium talent.

Not sure I see Atlanta being the preferred trade destination, unless the Sox are hell bent on adding pitching to the system I really think a template of the Luis Castillo trade return, plus a little bit more considering the additional 20 or so Cease starts a club would get vs. the season and a half of control Castillo had at the time. Mariners receive RHP Luis Castillo Reds receive SS Noelvi Marte (premium consensus top 30 MLB prospect, #23 MLBPipeline - deal headliner) SS Edwin Arroyo (When dealt had a .899 OPS in A ball at age 19, rising prospect now ranked #57 on MLBPipeline - co headliner) RHP Levi Stoudt (has not panned out so far, but was considered to have backend starter upside) RHP Andrew Moore (lottery relief prospect)

Tough to judge Gonzalez so quickly See how he does this season before throwing him away

Believe after the seasons ends all drafted guys are fair game to be dealt

I am right there with you. Unless the Sox want a quantity package for Cease, which I doubt, I do not see the Dodgers being the trade destination. Bingo. Busch is already 26 years old and underwhelmed in 27 MLB games down the stretch in 2023. He offers no defensive value, so do we want to bank on the bat being tremendous?

This would be underwhelming, especially with Cartaya having a weak season at the plate. I like Ryan and Kopp, but this package is not enough for me to consider moving two reasonably priced, prime seasons, of Cease. Pass.

Also seems light to me as well Sox do not need to rush this process. While I think it is likely a club finally meets the high asking price and they deal him, the Sox also are not forced to accept a subpar offer.

Agreed The Cubs do match up well and have a deep farm system. Unknown what their level of interest in a reunion of sorts would be, and if they are willing to start dealing prospects at this stage.

3/$75 million and a %25 million AAV certainly helps the Sox in trade negotiations for Cease Sox would be wise to let more dominos fall in free agency and creating an urgency for contenders to add such an affordable starter for the next two seasons

I have a feeling Dodgers are not the end destination if Cease gets dealt

An issue with some of the Dodgers pitching is that most and/or all of those players are not exactly young for being prospects. If I am dealing Cease I would want players young than 25-26 years old as centerpieces.