A look at the Baltimore Orioles and what they can provide to the San Diego Padres in a possible Dylan Cease trade.

There is building momentum in a Dylan Cease trade.

The San Diego Padres surely do not want to trade their pitcher, but it comes down to dollars and cents for the team.

Cease is a free agent after the year and will surely not sign a long-term deal with the Padres. San Diego simply cannot afford the pitcher, as they have hundreds of millions of dollars committed to a handful of players.

It is not the end of the world for the Padres, as the roster is still capable of doing damage in the playoffs.

San Diego requires help to reach the promised land, though. They need to add MLB-relevant players, and time is running out.

A.J. Preller indicated this past week at Padres fanfest that the club is looking to add a few pitchers and a bat or two. This comes as no surprise as the Padres have Tirso Ornelas penciled in as the starting left-fielder. Ornelas has yet to make his MLB debut and is an enigma as far as what he is capable of bringing to the team.

The Padres also have a glaring hole in the DH position. The thought is that the team would like to add a competent bat to rotate with the existing unit.

As far as trade partners go, the Baltimore Orioles make a ton of sense.

Corbin Burnes left the club via free agency this winter and will now pitch in Arizona with the Diamondbacks. The team signed Charlie Morton this winter, but the veteran is not exactly an imposing pitcher on the mound. The thought process is that Baltimore requires an ace-like pitcher to anchor their rotation. Dylan Cease would surely fill that role for the team.

For the Padres, the need is evident. They require a hitter and would also like to secure a young pitcher under team control for an extended period.

Heston Kjerstad makes a ton of sense for the Padres. The left-handed hitter is on the outside looking in as far as making the Orioles starting lineup. Anthony Santander left via free agency for the Toronto Orioles, which seemed to free up playing time for Kjerstad. But Baltimore signed Tyler O’Neill and Ramon Laureano this winter, and that complicates things.

Baltimore has Ryan Mountcastle penciled in at first base, and they have an outfield of Colton Cowser, O’Neill, and Cedric Mullins. Laureano also figures in to factor in this group. The Orioles also have Ryan O’Hearn on the roster, who may earn the majority of the starts at the DH position. Jorge Mateo, who is presently injured, may also factor in some degree for Baltimore. It is plain and simple. Kjerstad looks to be expendable.

Kjerstad is a former first-round pick (2020) and will be 26 years old next week. He is major league-ready.

Over the span of his two-year career in the majors, Kjerstad has only earned 129 at-bats. His defensive issues in left field are known. Baltimore was hesitant to roll him out there every day. But for the Padres, Kjerstad can play first base. He could also earn the lion’s share of starts at the DH position. His outfield defense would not be exposed at Petco Park.

The offensive ability is there for this native of Texas as he has shown the ability to drive the ball out of the park in the minors and do so with a relatively high batting average. Kjerstad owns 42 minor-league homers and a career .304 average in a little over 900 at-bats.

Chayce McDermott makes some sense in the deal as well, as the Padres covet a pitcher with team control. The 26-year-old right-handed pitcher showed well last season in Triple-A, going 4-5 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.410 WHIP in 21 starts and 100 innings pitched. The 6-foot-3 hurler struck out 144 in that time but also walked 60 batters. He will need to refine his command to be successful, but there is an upside to his game.

Working with Ruben Niebla and starting a brand-new organization may unlock something in this pitcher. McDermott features a five-pitch mix as he added a sweeper this past season. His changeup is considered his best off-speed pitch, as it produced a 45% swing-and-miss rate last season in Triple-A. The Padres may want to simplify his pitch mix to get him around the zone more. Reports indicate that he isn’t as wild as his numbers suggest.

McDermott and Kjerstad may be enough to get this deal done. The Padres could also add a lower-tiered prospect to get things done. The two sides may also swap some younger minor league players as A.J. Preller enjoys cherry-picking talent from other franchises. There is a match here. It comes down to whether or not Baltimore meets the asking price of the Padres.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.