Orioles eyeing a 200-strikeout threat to replace Burnes as ace?

The Baltimore Orioles need a staff ace after letting Corbin Burnes walk this winter. After eschewing the free-agent market, could the answer lie on the West Coast?

Across the country from the Maryland bay, the San Diego Padres have been reportedly shopping Dylan Cease to interested teams. 

The Padres, who are one of the finalists for Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki, are looking to ease up on their payroll spend while still remaining in National League contention. 

If San Diego were to land Sasaki, Cease would become all that more available for the right offer. Rachael Millanta of Just Baseball believes the right offer could come from Baltimore. 

"Considering the Orioles’ clear need for a top-of-the-rotation arm, their interest in Cease is hardly surprising, especially since his $13.75 million salary confirms he’ll be significantly cheaper than any comparable hurler they’ll find in free agency," Millanta wrote. "From the Padres’ perspective, the Orioles are an ideal trade partner, too. 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."

Cease, the one-time ace of the Chicago White Sox, was traded to San Diego last winter and immediately was installed as the team's No. 1 starter. 

He has hit the 200-strikeout plateau in each of the past four seasons, going 14-11 with 224 Ks to go with a 3.47 ERA last season. 

Those are the types of numbers that would certainly fit the bill in Baltimore, who are currently faced with the proposition of keeping pace in the ultra-competitive American League East with capable, yet not lockdown, Zach Eflin currently penciled in the team's top starter.

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