The Baltimore Orioles have made several significant moves this offseason, including signing Tyler O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million deal, and acquiring Gregory Soto, Charlie Morton, and Tomoyuki Sugano.
However, they’ve experienced some notable departures, as they couldn’t re-sign Anthony Santander or Corbin Burnes. While O’Neill could fill Santander’s role, the Orioles still need to find a top starter to lead their rotation.
Nick Ziegler of *Sports Illustrated* suggested that Baltimore could target Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres in a trade. Ziegler emphasized that adding another starting pitcher remains a priority for the Orioles, and with fewer free-agent options left, trading for a pitcher like Cease might be a viable route.
Cease, who was traded from the Chicago White Sox to San Diego before the 2024 season, posted a 14-11 record, a 3.47 ERA, and struck out 224 batters in 189 1/3 innings last year, contributing 4.2 WAR.
The 29-year-old would provide a major boost to Baltimore’s rotation, which is in desperate need of an ace. However, Cease is entering the final year of his contract, so there is a risk he could leave after the season. Despite this, if the Orioles want to remain competitive in 2025, it could be worth the gamble, especially with rivals like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays spending aggressively this offseason.
It will be interesting to see if the Orioles pursue Cease.
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