Baltimore Orioles Reportedly Interested In Trading For San Diego Padres' Dylan Cease

With Corbin Burnes set to leave in free agency, the Baltimore Orioles could look to swing a trade for San Diego Padres right-hander Dylan Cease and make him their new ace.

Aug 27, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) pitches against St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) during the second inning at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles are among the teams interested in trading for right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

Morosi appeared on "Hot Stove" from the Winter Meetings on Wednesday and reported that many teams looking for rotation help are pivoting towards the trade market after the New York Yankees signed free agent Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract on Tuesday night. Even though Corbin Burnes remains available, his asking price likely went up in the wake of Fried's record-breaking deal.

As a result, the chances that the Orioles retain Burnes have taken a hit, if they were even making competitive offers in the first place.

Baltimore acquired Burnes in a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in February, and they will need another ace if or when he walks out the door. Enter Cease, who got flipped from the Chicago White Sox to the San Diego Padres back in March.

The Orioles are among the teams interested in trading for Padres RHP Dylan Cease.

As Baltimore’s hopes of retaining Corbin Burnes continue to fade, trading for Cease is a legitimate option. @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 11, 2024

Cease has one year remaining on his contract, so the Orioles would be heading into a very similar situation to the one they just went through with Burnes. Perhaps getting a deal done earlier in the offseason would give Baltimore a chance to work out an extension with Cease ahead of time, though, rather than letting him reach free agency as well.

In 33 starts this season, Cease went 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA, 1.067 WHIP, 224 strikeouts and a 4.2 WAR. He finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting, two years after he finished second in AL Cy Young voting as a member of the White Sox.

Cease, who turns 29 years old later this month, is 48-35 with a 3.52 ERA, 1.207 WHIP, 891 strikeouts and a 16.0 WAR since 2021.

Burnes gave the Orioles a 3.4 WAR in 2024, going 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA, 1.096 WHIP and 181 strikeouts while placing fifth in the AL Cy Young race. Since 2021, the 30-year-old is 48-30 with a 2.94 ERA, 1.020 WHIP, 858 strikeouts and 16.5 WAR.

It remains to be seen who the Padres would want back from the Orioles in a potential Cease trade, although Morosi reported that they could be looking to stockpile prospects to flip the the White Sox for All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet. Baltimore has prospects to spare, still boasting one of the top farm systems in baseball even after Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday graduated to the big leagues.

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