The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly one of the teams trying to make a blockbuster deal for Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease and a new report claims they are currently the favorites to land the young star.
After five straight losing seasons and a trio of years with 100 or more losses, Baltimore has become one of the top teams in the American League again. They surprised the baseball world by developing into a competitive squad in 2022 then they took another big leap forward this season by winning the AL East for the first time in nine years.
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What makes their rise back to prominence special is that the Orioles did it the old-fashioned way by drafting talented prospects and developing them into legitimate rising stars in the big leagues. However, for as good as everyday players like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson are, they haven’t had the same success with developing stud pitchers.
That is why it seemed like a no-brainer the Orioles would go hard to improve their starting rotation after that weakness became apparent while getting swept right out of the playoffs by the eventual champion Texas Rangers. However, the organization has been relatively quiet in the free-agent and trade markets, but a recent report claimed they are among the teams in the chase for one-time AL Cy Young candidate Dylan Cease.
Baltimore Orioles’ top prospect won’t be included in potential Dylan Cease trade
The White Sox are looking to use their ace and the two arbitration-eligible seasons left on his deal to bolster their farm system. And a report in December claimed any interested team would need to give up several players from the top of their minor leagues to acquire him.
A new report from Randy Miller of NJ.com shed some new light on the chase and the potential players Baltimore might have to include in a deal. “The rumor mill has the Orioles favorites to land Cease for a package that doesn’t include the majors’ No. 1 prospect, shortstop Jackson Holliday.”
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Holliday is the Baltimore Orioles’ brightest young prospect as the 20-year-old flew threw all three levels of their system in 2023 and tore it up during each stop. It’s why he is ranked on MLB.com as not just the organization’s top prospect, but in all of baseball.
For a pitcher that has never been an All-Star, giving up Holliday was probably a non-starter but it is good to know they won’t have to and could still land a player that could make a big difference the next two seasons.
