The Baltimore Orioles understood after the 2023 postseason that they needed to improve on the mound. While the team did get decent performances out of certain arms, it was clear they needed an ace.

The Orioles were one of the better teams in baseball without one, which makes it scary to think about what they could become when they do land that top-of-the-line starter.

Of those available, the name that continues to be flying around in rumors is Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease.

The 27-year-old is likely Baltimore’s top option for multiple reasons besides his talent, including him being under club control for more than just the upcoming season. Cease is still in the arbitration stage of his contract, which allows the Orioles to have some flexibility in spending on other needs.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that the team is still looking for ways to better their rotation heading into the season.

“Smaller-market teams including the Orioles and Reds continue to search for rotation help, and while they might not be in the market for the big-money arms such as Yamamoto, Snell and Montgomery, they have plenty of prospect capital to deal for one of these more established arms.”

Baltimore will have many options to look at. Whether it be free agent or tradeable pieces, there’s rotation help out there. It’s uncertain how much they want to spend in a trade, but they have more than enough in their farm system to get a deal done.

Given that the Orioles have by far the best pipeline in baseball, they can likely be in the mix for any player in the league that’s on the market.