The Baltimore Orioles already needed a lot of starting pitching help, and then they lost their ace. Where do they go from here?

Trading Corbin Burnes last winter saved the Orioles rotation from complete collapse in 2024, but it might not have benefited them in the long run. Burnes has now gone to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore’s rotation is in a state of semi-ruin.

The only saving grace the Orioles have, if they are willing to use it, is their immense bevy of young talent. They could make another trade that mirrors the Burnes deal and secure a replacement to lead their rotation in 2025.

Of all the names on the trade market, Dylan Cease appears most poised to take over as the number one starter. He finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting in 2024, and his San Diego Padres might be in such a tight financial bind that they could move him before he hits free agency.

In a recent YouTube video, content creator Jim Riley suggested a trade that would send Cease to Baltimore in exchange for first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and starting pitcher Dean Kremer.

“The Baltimore Orioles missed out on Corbin Burnes, the fan base is upset, let’s play it back,” Riley said. “You end up with an Orioles rotation led by Dylan Cease.”

The 28-year-old Cease had a 3.47 ERA in 189 1/3 innings last season and ranked third in all of baseball with 224 strikeouts. He also threw his first career no-hitter and his FIP of 3.10 suggests he probably deserved even better stats than he ended up with.

Riley’s return makes perfect sense for the Padres if San Diego prioritizes big league talent. Kremer has three years of control and could fit into the Padres’ rotation, but Mountcastle is a more complicated fit since he’s only a first baseman/designated hitter.

Honestly, Baltimore will probably need more if they want Cease in their rotation. But they have plenty of young talent left, so it will quickly become a test of how committed general manager Mike Elias is to winning now.

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