The price for White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease has been too high for any team to meet. Especially the Orioles, who found a second ace in Corbin Burnes for cheaper this offseason to go along with right-hander Kyle Bradish. They were poised to enter the 2024 season with one of the best rotations in baseball.
That is until news broke Friday that Bradish had suffered a sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament and will be starting the season on the injured list. Injured, too, is lefty John Means, and there is no indication so far as to when either starter might be back.
The Orioles still aren't in terrible shape in the pitching department, but it is a massive blow to a top-five team entering its most anticipated season in decades.
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It would be reasonable to think Orioles GM Mike Elias might pony up for Cease, who remains on the market into spring training. But don't expect this to be the case.
Means is expected to return roughly one month into the season after being shut down late last year with elbow trouble. It's also not 100 percent certain that Bradish will need Tommy John surgery. As of right now, he's attempting to treat the injury without it, meaning both pitchers could be back at a reasonable point in the season. If the reigning American League champions can hold down the fort for a few months, they may not even need to address the hole in the rotation.
Thanks to a Scott Boras-manipulated market, there are still some top free agents available for the Orioles to sign. Elias, though, made it clear in the early offseason that he was more interested in obtaining talent from the trade market.
So even if Bradish returns in the latter half of the season, why not throw down for Cease anyway?
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First of all, there are still some relatively solid free agents left who wouldn't break the bank. The Orioles also might have enough depth in the rotation to suffice without making a move. At this point, with how slow the market is moving, it would be fairly reckless to give into the White Sox' hefty demands before seeing how the beginning of the season shakes out.
And the asking price is hefty, as one general manager expressed to the NY Post's Jon Heyman the White Sox are asking for "the sun and the moon" for Cease's services. Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos comically told a fan Cease was "too expensive" for their liking.
Getz also told reporters on the subject that the Orioles haven't called about Cease since Bradish went down. Getz told reporters to expect Cease to be their Opening Day starter, too, though he'll likely be shopped again towards the trade deadline when teams might act quicker for pressing needs.
From Cease's perspective, he thought he would be traded this offseason. He received a call from Getz he expected to be his last with the White Sox. But for right now, as Spring Training commences, he's just happy to return to the mound.
"I just really want to perform, so wherever I'm at, it's all kind of the same process," Cease told Chuck Garfien on the "White Sox Talk" podcast. "Do what you can to be your best," Cease said. "I'm happy to be here. I'm grateful to be a major league baseball player. I love Chicago. I enjoy my teammates. I enjoy the staff. It's really a win-win."