ChiSoxFanMike

No team really has “blocked” pitching prospects given the nature of MLB these days but it’s not unheard of for teams to swap arms for bats.

I still think it is possible. The third team would likely need to have pitching prospects and need hitting. That way they can send a pitcher to the Sox and maybe the Orioles can send a hitter to them. Teams like the Mariners, Marlins, Giants might fit into this category.

I don’t understand why there isn’t more talk of a 3 way trade. Those are obviously fairly uncommon, but it doesn’t seem that difficult to include a third team that has pitching prospects. That way the Sox can get a nice blend of both pitching and hitting, the Orioles get Cease, and the third team gets whatever they are looking for.

Elias is a prospect hugging clown. I hope Baltimore never wins anything.

He was talking about Robert, not Cease.

It would honestly be kinda funny if they just kept him after 2,600+ posts in this thread and months and months of talking in circles about him.

I would understand this move if Maldonado’s defense didn’t decline drastically this past season. I’d also understand it more if they hadn’t already traded for Stassi. How many old catchers who can’t hit do they need?

Those are fair points I guess. Like I said, I understand the Orioles circumstances. They operate in a similar fashion to the Sox in terms of their spending habits. But the overwhelming sentiment in the Cease thread from what I have read is a reluctance to part with what it would take to get a pitcher of Cease’s caliber. I don’t blame O’s fans for that if the ask is unreasonable, but you have to give to get. You’re not going to get a pitcher like Cease in this market for the scraps.

I suppose, but the Sox farm systems at that time were horrible so it’s kind of apples to oranges in that regard. The Orioles are so loaded that they have surpluses at almost every position. I’ve seen people on that Orioles forum clutching onto Connor Norby types. Like why? Where is that guy going to play for them in a couple years?

Perhaps you can answer this for me. Why are so many people on that Orioles forum reluctant to trade any prospect of significance? Is that just an extension of the Elias mindset? I get that the Orioles aren’t in the market for big time free agents so it’s important to keep prospects to an extent. But if one didn’t know any better, you would think the Orioles system was awful with the amount of prospect clutching people do on there…even with guys who are totally blocked at the MLB level.

They don’t, but then they will have to be content with another ALDS exit because their pitching is not playoff caliber, let alone World Series caliber.

Their reluctance to not trade anyone is just so insane to me. Do they not realize how many excess position players they have?

Some other Orioles fan on that forum just said “I think Ortiz, Norby, and a lottery ticket is plenty” Lol.

They have been so brainwashed by Elias’ prospect hugging that they don’t want to give up anyone of significance and think they can obtain Cease for their scraps. Those people are not rational.

Orioles fans on the Orioles forum say we are being delusional by expecting a haul for Cease. Hope they read this and realize that Joey Ortiz being the headliner of their proposals is laughable.

If they include Dominguez they have a legit shot. If not, the Sox can do better elsewhere.

Yes it is assuming the Yankees have interest in Cease too.

I’d assume the Cease rumors will pick up substantially now.

I thought he wanted to go to the Mariners.

Yeah the Quintana stuff came to mind for me as well. I’m not expecting them to trade for Cease, but like others have said, the more teams in on him the better.

They would have to give up Johnson or else the deal wouldn’t happen IMO.

Johnson is actually very intriguing the more I read up on him. He’s short, but he can take walks and has power from the left side. I like that.

Lots of smoke tonight about that, especially on Pirates Twitter. Don’t know if it’s an actually happening or just wishful thinking from their end though.

I had never considered the Pirates but they do have what it takes to get Cease if they really wanted him.

Not sure how true this is so take it with a grain of salt. https://x.com/martyonfifthave/status/1737230017308873090?s=46&t=Wr6gOVOo8Za8Bnez19t84w