MLB Rumors: Why did the Minnesota Twins let Sonny Gray walk?

The Twins let Kenta Maeda and Sonny Gray walk this offseason, signaling a decrease in active payroll and a change in direction. Minnesota can still compete for an AL Central crown if they make the right moves, don't get it twisted, but they must replace at least Gray atop the rotation.

Minnesota traded a former first-round pick in Chase Petty for Gray just a few short years ago. In return, they received an ace-level pitcher for two years. Now that Gray has signed in St. Louis, the Twins will received a compensation pick (No. 33) in return.

That's not the worst outcome for Minnesota, which typically prefers to build from within. As Puckett's Pond editor Josh Hill points out, so far the Gray trade looks like a good one from the Twins perspective:

"All it ended up costing the Twins was eight draft slots, which is a huge win given the narrative this past season about trades blowing up in the front office's face. We'll see how Petty turns out, but the Twins will essentially get to replace him three years later while getting all they got out of Gray," Hill wrote.

There have been some rumblings that the Twins will try to replace Maeda and Gray with at least on trade acquisition, so Minnesota is far from done despite losing two of their top starters. Frankly, things could be much worse.

MLB Rumors: Has White Sox asking price for Dylan Cease gone down?

We don't know what White Sox GM Chris Getz is asking for in return in Dylan Cease trade talks, but it's a safe bet that any deal will include plenty of prospect capital. Cease is coming off a down year, yes, but he still has plenty of time left on his contract (which is affordable), and was the AL Cy Young runner-up in 2022. His resume speaks for itself.

Cease was reportedly available at the trade deadline in early August, but the White Sox asking price wasn't met. That leads to the obvious question: What is the White Sox asking price, and is Getz flexible? Per Rob Bradford of WEEI, Chicago asked the Boston Red Sox for one of their top young pitchers in return for Cease.

Bello started 28 games for the Red Sox in 2023 and will be entering his age-25 season. He'd jump to the top of the Chicago rotation right away if acquired by the White Sox.

Any team executive interested in Cease has to enter trade talks understanding they will part ways with young players they like. Acquiring talent means taking some risks, and parting ways with young prospects who could one day develop into superstars. However, Cease is already a perennial All-Star if he's right. The bidding war has just begun for the left-handed pitcher, but if Getz is serious about starting a rebuild, expect him to wait for the right package.

MLB Rumors: Braves have familiar competition for Dylan Cease

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported on Monday that the Braves have entered the Dylan Cease sweepstakes. Atlanta lost out on both Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola, and remain engaged with Eduardo Rodriguez per recent reports. However, a trade may be the best avenue for Alex Anthopoulos to acquire a frontline starter, especially given the price tags on some of the top free-agent pitchers available.

Cease has two years of arbitration left on his current contract, and while that will certainly cost any interest suitor, at the very least it's a short-term agreement for now. I wrote about the Braves interest in Cease, and why it makes sense for Anthopoulos on Monday:

"Much of Anthopoulos's urgency to acquire a high-end starting pitcher this offseason is due to the likelihood that the Braves lose both Charlie Morton and Max Fried next winter. Fried will be a free agent, and extension talks have not gone according to plan thus far, despite an injury suffered by Fried this season which kept him out several months. Morton is on the wrong side of 40 and just opted into the final year of his contract, but any commitment beyond that is anyone's guess."

Unfortunately for Atlanta, however, they are not alone in these trade talks. The White Sox have plenty of leverage thanks to the Dodgers, who are also interested in Cease. Los Angeles's farm system is loaded with prospects, while the Braves would have to trade young, MLB-ready talent to acquire Cease. Depending on what Chicago is looking for, Anthopoulos may fall short of his goal.