4 big-name moves Orioles could make if new ownership is ready to spend

3. Orioles can trade for Dylan Cease with full confidence in next contract

The Baltimore Orioles are a popular candidate in the Dylan Cease sweepstakes. The Chicago White Sox are being stingy with the 28-year-old, as they should be. It's not often that young Cy Young candidates with multiple years of team control become available. Cease is under contract through the 2025 season. Baltimore has more trade ammo than any other franchise, but there are concerns about the Orioles' willingness to re-sign Cease at market value when the time comes.

Now, perhaps those concerns subside. It's a waiting game, of course, but Cease is the perfect "bold" move for a new ownership group. He's slated to make a dirt-cheap $8 million next season. The big financial hit won't come until a couple years down the line. That is, assuming the Orioles actually plan to keep him around. Cease's deal allows ownership settle in before committing max dollars to an established star.

Cease struggled last season, as did the White Sox. His ERA ballooned to 4.58 and his innings per game slipped. He still managed 33 starts (with a 7-9 record), but Cease's lofty hard-hit percentage (41.6) and low groundball rate (36.8 percent) paints a troubling picture. He can still rack up swings and misses, accumulating 214 punch-outs in 177.0 innings. But, Cease was far too prone to explosive hits in 2023.

On the other hand, Cease finished second in American League Cy Young voting the season prior. He's still relatively young and the team around him offered no favors. Cease deserves patience and the benefit of the doubt. Baltimore needs a proper No. 1 ace, a height Cease is still very much capable of reaching.