Baltimore Orioles Again Named Perfect Trade Fit For Top Available Star Ace

The Baltimore Orioles have made some upgrades to their pitching staff via free agency, but not enough to convince anyone that this team is a real contender with the rotation as currently constructed.

Additions like Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano are nice, but neither one is an ace and neither one will be able to carry this Orioles team to where they want to be come October.

It's not easy to replace someone like Corbin Burnes, no one is questioning that. But what Baltimore has done so far flat out is not enough, which is probably the main reason why they have been linked to just about every available starter both on the open market and trade block.

With the free agent options dwindling, it would take a blockbuster to get the same level of production they got from Burnes, but it's possible one could be brewing.

Even before their former ace signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Orioles were reported to have serious interest in San Diego Padres star Dylan Cease, and for good reason.

Cease is one of the best pitchers in the sport, and similar to Burnes, is able to consistently stay on the field and give them a full slate of quality starts.

In the latest example of him being linked to Baltimore, Rachael Millanta of Just Baseball has named the Orioles as one of her "perfect fits" to acquire the right-handed star.

"From the Padres’ perspective, the Orioles are an ideal trade partner, too," Millanta wrote. "Over the last few seasons, the Padres have traded away a lot of top prospects to secure their current talent, and as a result, the organization’s farm system has been depleted. The Orioles, on the other hand, have multiple young hitters in their talent pool — as well as a reputation for developing strong batters — so with the right trade package, they could almost certainly entice the Padres to hand over their ace."

Baltimore has always made the most logical sense if San Diego was going to deal Cease away.

From a return standpoint for the Padres, in addition to the need at the top of the rotation, Cease and the Orioles is an ideal fit.

He would slot seamlessly into the hole Burnes left behind, boasting similar reliability with a minimum of 32 starts in each of the last four years. He potentially could even be an upgrade from Burnes given he is over a year younger and has been in the league for just six seasons.

Baltimore has to consider the difficult reality they faced this winter with Cease becoming a free agent after the year.

While their plan was to keep Burnes, it didn't work out that way, and if the Orioles are going to make another blockbuster investment on a trade for a pitcher, they had better be sure they're able to keep him.

If they aren't confident and believe there's a real chance of losing an acquired asset in not one, but two winters in a row, perhaps they're better off looking elsewhere.

But if they think they can get a deal done with him to keep the righty around long-term, Cease is the perfect fit to slot in at the top of their rotation.