AL West Club Emerges as New Suitor for Orioles' Top Trade Target
The Baltimore Orioles' top trade target is receiving interest from a surprise American League West team. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Seattle Mariners have an interest in trading for right-hander Dylan Cease.
Nightengale notes that the Mariners' package would be centered around starter Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. Seattle has the prospects to get it done if the package is centered around either of those highly regarded arms.
It's uncertain if the Mariners will match that asking price, but this becomes something to watch out for as the Orioles are still in pursuit of a top-of-the-line starting pitcher.
Seattle has a decent farm system, but it's tough to compare any system in baseball to Baltimore's. They have the second most prospects in the top 100 in the recent MLB Pipeline rankings, including the No. 1 overall prospect, Jackson Holliday.
Cease would be the ideal fit for the Orioles. With two years of club control and just 28 years old, there isn't a better option on the market for this young, star-filled team.
While Baltimore has developed some of their young talents into big-league stars, they have to move on from some of them at some point. It's tough to say that a farm system has too much talent, as that's never a bad thing, but they have to start trading prospects for proven big leaguers.
Cease being traded to a different team would be a major disappointment. It's clear that the Orioles need an ace-caliber pitcher and they can't let the best available one end up elsewhere.
