Could Baltimore Orioles Pull Off Blockbuster Trade for Ace?
As the Baltimore Orioles enter the offseason and figure out upgrades needed to make them true contenders, it's clear what their No. 1 target will be.
Starting pitching.
It's been speculated by reporters and insiders that the front office will aggressively pursue an ace after adding veteran help to their back-end the past two offseasons.
Those additions have helped them in the regular season, but did nothing in the playoffs.
So, the Orioles now know they need an elite starter to pair with their young arms, but with their limited budget, who could they realistically get?
It sounds like one of the best starting arms in baseball will be available for trade.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, the Chicago White Sox are ready to start rebuilding.
"This is why the White Sox cut ties with shortstop Tim Anderson and are making everyone available in trades except center fielder Luis Robert – including ace Dylan Cease – as they lower their payroll," he writes.
The star right-hander should be the biggest target of Baltimore this offseason. The White Sox would jump at the opportunity to take some of the prospects in the Orioles' pipeline as they start offloading assets.
Cease has two more years of club control before hitting free agency following the 2025 season. He's projected to have a salary in 2024 of $8.3 million, something firmly in Baltimore's budget.
Tim Britton of The Athletic reports, "The Orioles, who had a $60 million payroll to start 2023, will have plenty of room to add to that and will be more open to dealing their prospects than they were at July’s trade deadline. Rival execs believe they could be a wild card for some of the sport’s bigger names."
Adding Cease to this rotation would certainly be a splash.
This situation is one to heavily monitor as the Orioles could become aggressive and Chicago is looking to sell.
