With spring training starting up for the Baltimore Orioles, there is still one key area that is a concern for the team.
For the last two years, no team in the American League has won more games than the Orioles in the regular season. Unfortunately, that hasn’t resulted in postseason success.
Last winter, Baltimore pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire Corbin Burnes to be the ace of the staff.
Burnes pitched excellently for the Orioles in 2024 with a (15-9) record and 2.92 ERA. Even though he performed as an ace should in the postseason, he got no run support and took the loss in the Wild Card Round.
When Baltimore pulled off the deal for Burnes, they knew that it could be just a one-year relationship with his contract expiring at the end of the year. Unfortunately, that is exactly what transpired with him signing a contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Now, while the Orioles added Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano as free agents, neither will end up replacing his level of production.
With the start of the campaign quickly approaching, Baltimore is still without a true ace on the staff.
Recently, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report listed the Orioles as a potential landing spot for San Diego Padres right-hander Dylan Cease.
Due to some financial constraints for the Padres, it seems like they will be trying to move a couple of their veterans. Also, the team made the shocking addition of Nick Pivetta in free agency recently, making moving a pitcher even more likely.
Cease has a ton of talent and can be a front-end pitcher and an ace on a contender. In 2024 with San Diego, the right-hander totaled a (14-11) record and a 3.47 ERA. At just 29 years old, he has already totaled two top-five finishes in Cy Young voting in his young career.
With such a need for pitching, the Orioles make a lot of sense for the Padres as a trade partner. If Baltimore wants to get a deal done, they still have an excellent farm system that can help facilitate a deal.
While the Orioles might be able to still have a successful regular season with the pitching rotation they have now, October is a different ball game. They will need to have a front-end starter to compete with some of the best teams in the league, which is certainly an area of weakness.
Adding a pitcher the caliber of Cease makes a lot of sense and Baltimore is certainly a logical landing spot.