When going after one of the best starting pitchers in the game with two years of club control remaining, the asking price is not going to be cheap.
The Cincinnati Reds, and by proxy the Baltimore Orioles, found that out after hearing what the Chicago White Sox are looking for in a trade package that involves their ace Dylan Cease.
“I know the White Sox were asking the Reds a crazy price for Dylan Cease. Chicago wanted Edwin Arroyo, Rhett Lowder, Connor Phillips and at least one more prospect. Do they think [Nick] Krall is Santa Claus? That’s enough to put you on the naughty list all by itself,” he reports.
MLB Pipeline ranks Rhett Lowder as the Reds’ No. 2 overall prospect, Edwin Arroyo their No. 3 overall prospect and Connor Phillips No. 4. They’re also the 41st, 57th and 68th ranked prospects in all of minor league baseball.
That is quite the asking price.
Maybe the White Sox are just throwing something like that out there to see what Cincinnati would counter with. After all, their front office did make it clear that they are interested in moving players this offseason.
With this supposedly what the Reds are looking for, the Orioles have a much better idea of what they’d have to give up to get Cease on their roster.
Mike Elias has said in the past they won’t make trades just to make trades, and it would be surprising for him to give up this many talented prospects for two years of service.
Baltimore likely wouldn’t re-sign Cease in free agency when he hits the open market after 2025.
So, knowing all of this, it doesn’t look like the Orioles would be willing to put together a trade package of this magnitude to land Cease.
