Since the trade deadline in August, Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease has continued to come up in trade talks for the Orioles.
Reports have come out listing Baltimore as one of the favorites to land the 28-year-old right-hander, but the package the White Sox are after is still in question.
With that being said, it’s a good time to go over some prospects Baltimore should hold onto and a few that they could afford to part ways with as they try to bolster their starting rotation for the 2024 season and beyond.
HOLD ON TO – Jackson Holliday
I doubt this one surprises anybody, but the O’s should in no way consider trading not only their No. 1 prospect but the unanimous top prospect in all of baseball. At just 19 years old, Jackson Holliday has already made his way to Triple-A and has a good shot to crack the Opening Day roster with a good spring outing.
His .939 OPS throughout all four levels of the minors in 2023 is encouraging enough, but Holliday also gets on base almost half the time he comes to the plate and has flashed his developing power with 12 home runs in 125 games last season.
Holiday is just too special of a talent for Baltimore to ship off for a pitcher coming off a down year.
EXPENDABLE – Colton Cowser
This is a tough one. Colton Cowser defensively is very good, and he offers some rare traits that make him very enticing with the bat. However, with Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander and Austin Hays already set, with Heston Kjerstad and Enrique Bradfield Jr. soon to impact the big league club, Cowser does become very expendable.
The 23-year-old was fantastic throughout his time in Triple-A Norfolk last season, blasting 17 home runs with a .300 average and .937 OPS but struggled immensely in his short stint in the majors, slashing just .115/.286/.148.
This is by no means a sign of what’s to come for Cowser, but the O’s are officially in “win now” mode, and for a player with the upside of Cease, Baltimore can afford to part ways with their No. 2 prospect.
HOLD ON TO – Samuel Basallo
Basallo has quickly become one of the more underrated prospects in the minor leagues, and Baltimore would almost certainly regret including him in any Cease package.
Basallo made his way to Double-A in 2023 and, throughout the entirety of the season, slashed .313/.402/.551 to go along with 20 home runs. Basallo, the team’s No. 5 prospect, is also just 19 years old, and with a big 2024, he could quickly establish himself as a top 10 prospect in all of baseball.
A tandem of Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo would ultimately be more beneficial to Baltimore in the long run, regardless of if Basallo stays at the catching position or transitions to first base.
EXPENDABLE – Connor Norby
Norby, in this writer’s eyes, is the perfect piece Baltimore could offer to help facilitate a Cease trade. Though Norby could certainly help the Orioles win games, he is on the wrong end of an infield log jam behind guys like Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Ramón Urías and Jorge Mateo.
The White Sox, who are in need of controllable infielders, would almost certainly love to get their hands on the O’s No. 7 prospect, who posted a very respectable .290/.359/.483 slash line with an impressive 21 home runs.
If Norby can help bridge the gap for the Orioles to land the talented right-hander, it’s hard to imagine GM Mike Elias saying no.
HOLD ON TO – Heston Kjerstad
Heston Kjerstad had a short stint with Baltimore towards the end of the regular season and showed enough flashes for all of Birdland to be excited for his 2024 campaign.
Health complications early in Kjerstad’s career sidelined him for an extensive period of time, but after returning in 2023 and tearing up Double-A to the tune of a .959 OPS, Kjerstad would get his Triple-A promotion and wouldn’t miss a beat, slashing .298/.371/.498 while showing off his raw power. Kjerstad’s 13 games at the MLB level were not quite as good, but his 52.4 hard hit percentage and average exit velocity of 92.3 suggests progression in 2024.
It would be a shame to move on from a potential 40-home-run player whose left-handed swing fits perfectly with Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
EXPENDABLE – Kyle Stowers
Kyle Stowers was once a prospect many O’s fans were excited for, but in his brief time in the bigs, Stowers has yet to really put it all together.
Funny enough, his best moment came against the White Sox when he homered off of all-world closer Liam Hendricks to tie the game in the ninth. But outside of that, his career .207/.267/.333 slash line just won’t cut it, especially with all the young outfield talent in front of him.
Not all hope is lost, though, for Stowers, who this season had a very solid .868 OPS in 68 Triple-A games. At just 26 years old, Stowers has had enough success in the minor leagues for Chicago to certainly be interested in him as a back-end piece of a Cease deal.
A Dylan Cease trade seems like it could happen any day now, and these were just a few guys who could be involved and which prospects Baltimore should hold on to.
Do you agree with our selections? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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