Ace pitcher expected to be Orioles top free agency target

Expect this reliable right-handed hurler to be at the top of the Baltimore Orioles' free agency targets.

Jun 10, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) comes off the field after pitching during the sixth inning against the against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles front office understands that their pitching staff was a big reason for their disappointing 2025 season.

Both the starting rotation and the bullpen were collectively mediocre, which would have made it tough on the lineup to score enough to keep this team consistently winning games. Combine these pitching woes with the fact that essentially all of the Orioles' young and talented hitters underperformed in their 2025 campaigns, and it's clear why this team finished in last place in the AL East, despite winning a combined 192 games in the past two regular seasons.

Read more: Mike Elias admits 'concerning' aspect of Orioles stars' regression

The Orioles' front office didn't pursue any elite starting pitchers last winter. However, this seems to be a regret for former GM and current president of baseball operations Mike Elias, given how unreliable his existing staff turned out to be. And Elias is clearly not keen to repeat this same mistake this upcoming offseason, as he said during his end-of-season exit interview last week that Baltimore will be on the market for a top-tier starter.

Dec 10, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Baltimore Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias talks on the set of MLB Network at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Dylan Cease Linked to Orioles in Free Agency

While there are several ace-caliber starters expected to be available in free agency, the Orioles have been linked to former San Diego Padres hurler turned unrestricted free agent Dylan Cease several times in the past.

This was the case once again when Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller called the Orioles one of Cease's top landing spots in an October 5 article.

"With both Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells returning late in the season and looking great after their Tommy John recoveries, though, Cease could be the final piece of a championship rotation—if that's where Baltimore finally chooses to make a major investment for the first time in a decade," Miller wrote.

Dylan Cease is a legitimately strong free-agent SP candidate: his 32+ starts, 168+ innings and 200+ strikeouts across each of the last three seasons give him both volume and elite swing‑and‑miss ability, which are premium traits for a rotation anchor. #ForTheFaithful (1/2) pic.twitter.com/sdlKGpbH58

— Boogie Muse (@BoogieFlandMuse) October 4, 2025

Granted, Miller didn't think that Baltimore was going to be one of the most likely landing spots for Cease, as they were only No. 9 on his list. But there's little doubt that Mike Elias is going to express at least initial interest in Cease before seeing how his market begins to shape up.

Cease didn't have the 2025 season he was hoping for, as he finished the year with an 8-12 record and a 4.55 ERA in 32 regular season starts. But Cease's 215 strikeouts being sixth-best in all of baseball show that he still has elite stuff and suggest that 2025 was merely a blip on the radar.

Plus, it could mean that the Orioles can sign Cease at a bargain price compared to if his 2025 ERA had been closer to his career 3.88 mark.

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