The Atlanta Braves were one of several teams that were involved in the Sonny Gray sweepstakes. In fact, he was their top target.
Unfortunately for the six-time defending NL East champions, Gray chose the St. Louis Cardinals, leaving Atlanta still in need of a frontline starting pitcher.
But things aren't all gloom and doom with the Braves. There are plenty of options available in trades and in free agency that could truly benefit them.
In this piece, we will take a look at three players who should be on the Braves' holiday wish list as the Winter Meetings get underway.
1. Blake Snell
If the Braves were in on Gray, who's to say that Snell won't be a target for them?
Atlanta was outbid by the Cardinals, but now that Gray and Nola have signed, they can turn their attention to Snell.
The veteran left-hander won his second Cy Young Award this season, posting a 2.25 ERA, which was the best mark in all of baseball. With Gray and Nola off the board, he will be the No. 1 target for several teams.
The Braves do already have a few solid starters in place such as Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, and Charlie Morton. However, Morton is aging while Strider took a few steps back after a fantastic 2022 season.
In order to get past the Philadelphia Phillies, the Braves will need one more top starter in their rotation.
The one downside with Snell is that he doesn't always go deep into games. But he still provides swing-and-miss ability that could greatly benefit the Braves. He can be trusted in postseason games as well, which could give the Braves a better chance to make it past the NLDS for the first time since 2021, the year they won their most recent World Series title.
2. Dylan Cease
On Wednesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that trade talks with Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease were intensifying. He also noted that the Braves appeared to be one of the favorites.
Cease is a native of Georgia, and if acquired by the Braves, he would have the chance to play closer to home. The White Sox have also made it abundantly clear that they are open for business in terms of trades, leaving no players untouchable.
Cease struggled in 2023, going 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA. Still, he isn't far removed from finishing in second place in the Cy Young race back in 2022. That year, he had a 2.20 ERA
Adding somebody with upside like Cease would be a big step forward for the Braves as they try to bounce back from their NLDS loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Cease struck out 214 batters and pitched 177 innings, so the Braves would be getting a strikeout machine and an innings eater for their starting rotation.
In an era where starters don't go very deep into games anymore, Cease is certainly a rare breed in that he can pitch deep.
3. Jordan Montgomery
Montgomery is less of a strikeout pitcher than Cease and Snell are, but a move for him would certainly move the needle for Atlanta.
Montgomery dominated in the postseason for the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers. In six appearances, five of which were starts, the veteran left-hander and postseason stalwart logged 31 innings and had a record of 3-1 with an ERA of 2.90.
During the regular season, he pitched 188.2 innings, which is indicative of his ability to go deep into ballgames. He was able to do just that with the Rangers after being acquired from the Cardinals at the trade deadline.
Montgomery's market will be competitive, but the Braves have money to spend and a hole to fill in their rotation. Montgomery could be just what they need in order to remain at the top of the ever-competitive NL East division.
The left-hander has pitched the vast majority of his career in the American League, but is obviously familiar with the National League thanks to his brief stint with the Cardinals.
With the Winter Meetings beginning on Sunday, Montgomery could be one of the first players that ends up moving as free agency heats up.
