Insider tabs Orioles as ideal destination for ace

With the start of the Craig Albernaz era in full swing, should the Baltimore Orioles' first big move this offseason be signing this ace starting pitcher?

In an November 11 article for ESPN, MLB insider Jeff Passan named Dylan Cease as a potential starting pitcher the Orioles should pursue.

"Baltimore is a few moves away from contending in the AL East, but those moves need to be significant, not stopgap," Passan wrote. "There is a clear top tier of starters with Tatsuya Imai, Framber Valdez and the pitcher the Orioles should sign, particularly if they don't want to dip into their system like they did to acquire [Corbin] Burnes. Sign free agent right-hander Dylan Cease."

After back-to-back playoff appearances, the O's fell well short of their expectations in 2025, finishing in last place in the AL East for the first time since 2022 with a 75-87 record. Baltimore's struggles this past season were primarily due to the rotation being decimated by injuries, which may result in the ballclub looking to add to its rotation this winter.

Cease is certainly an intriguing option as one of the premier free agent pitchers this offseason, but he is coming off his own disappointing 2025 season with the San Diego Padres. Despite making 32 starts for San Diego, Cease posted an 8-12 record with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP across 168 innings. He did, however, strike out 215 batters, making it the fifth straight year Cease struck out 200 batters or more in a season.

Dylan Cease was the only pitcher to strike out 200+ batters each year from 2021-24.

He just struck out his 200th batter of 2025 💪 https://t.co/cT7pvdrBlv pic.twitter.com/uvj1P8OETF
— MLB (@MLB) September 14, 2025

The 29-year-old was also rumored in trade talks last offseason as he entered the final year of his contract, but the Padres opted not to deal the right-hander. Despite his down 2025 season, Cease has been a reliable and durable starting pitcher throughout his big league career, which could bode well for an Orioles' rotation that lacked stability this past year.

While Cease may not have been as stellar last season as he's been in years past, he is still only a year removed from posting a 14-11 record in 2024 with a 3.47 ERA, 224 strikeouts and a career-best 1.07 WHIP in 189.1 innings of work (also a career-high). Cease's 2024 season also saw him toss just the second no-hitter in Padres history, accomplishing the feat on July 25 against the Washington Nationals.

If the Orioles want to contend for a postseason spot next season in the always ultra-competitive AL East under their first-year skipper, Dylan Cease would certainly be a massive upgrade for their rotation, which was tied with the Miami Marlins for 26th in all of baseball last year with a 4.60 ERA.

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