Entering this offseason, the entire discourse surrounding the Baltimore Orioles was if they could land the ace of their rotation that they needed.

Kyle Bradish had all the makings of a future No. 1, finishing fourth in AL Cy Young voting last year in his second season of Major League Baseball. Grayson Rodriguez showed improvement in the second half of the year after struggling to start.

But, outside of Bradish in the playoffs, their rotation fell apart, one of the main reasons why the Orioles were swept.

With the Chicago White Sox looking to start a rebuild, their ace Dylan Cease seemed like the perfect candidate for Baltimore to go after.

He’s one of the top starters in the game and has two years left on his contract before hitting free agency.

However, after the high asking price the White Sox wouldn’t budge on, the Orioles went in a different direction and landed former NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes.

It’s very likely that Chicago will look to deal Cease at the trade deadline this season, and if that eventually happens, Baltimore will once again be a rumored target.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report doesn’t think that will happen, though. He’s predicting that the St. Louis Cardinals will put together a package to acquire the star right-hander.

“Baltimore has been one of the most frequently suggested landing spots for Cease, but the Cardinals might make the most sense here,” he writes.

Based on the trade package that the White Sox were looking for in return, it will be interesting to see what ultimately gets them to deal their ace.

The Cardinals have two pitchers, Tink Hence and Tekoah Roby, inside their top-five of prospects according to MLB Pipeline.

Maybe the Orioles become ultra-aggressive at the deadline based on their standing in the division and American League to try and land Cease for themselves.

That would certainly give them one of the best rotations in the league.