Last offseason, the Baltimore Orioles made headlines with a blockbuster trade for Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes. However, with Burnes likely departing in free agency, the Orioles are now exploring potential trade targets and free-agent options to fill the void left by the perennial All-Star pitcher.
Under new ownership, the Baltimore Orioles were expected to show a greater willingness to expand payroll and strengthen their roster. However, the team has already come up short in two major pursuits this offseason. They lost a bidding war to the New York Yankees for Max Fried and were outbid by the Boston Red Sox in trade negotiations with the Chicago White Sox for Garrett Crochet.
With Corbin Burnes on the brink of departing and leaving a significant void in the Orioles’ rotation, Baltimore appears to be planning for his exit. Reports suggest the team has identified two potential targets to step in and fill the gap left by the Cy Young winner.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, if the Orioles are unable to re-sign Corbin Burnes, a “more likely” trade target for Baltimore could be San Diego Padres’ starting pitcher Dylan Cease.
Cease’s 2024 stats (via ESPN) highlight his elite performance: a 3.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 224 strikeouts, a .200 batting average against, and a .601 OPS allowed across 189.1 innings pitched.
Dylan Cease, 28, has surfaced in MLB trade rumors, with reports suggesting the Padres are open to moving him, Xander Bogaerts, and Luis Arraez. Among the three, Cease, a two-time All-MLB Second Team pitcher, is drawing the most interest, with the Baltimore Orioles mentioned as a potential suitor.
Dylan Cease Contract (via Spotrac): Estimated $13 million salary in 2025, with free agency following the 2025-26 season.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Orioles might consider a deal similar to last offseason’s trade for Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers, which involved parting with shortstop Joey Ortiz, left-hander DL Hall, and the 34th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
If Cease or Burnes is unavailable, Baltimore could explore bringing back veteran pitcher Jack Flaherty. Last season, Flaherty posted a 3.17 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP across stints with the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers. However, his prior performance with the Orioles was underwhelming: a 6.75 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, a 42-12 K-BB ratio, and a .311 batting average allowed over 34.2 innings.
Baltimore would be optimistic that Flaherty’s strong performance last season — a 29.9% strikeout rate and a .222 batting average allowed — could continue into 2025 and beyond. However, due to his durability concerns, Flaherty would likely come at a much lower cost than re-signing Burnes, though with significantly higher risk and potential downside.
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