The Baltimore Orioles desperately need to bring in a starting pitcher to replace their former ace, Corbin Burnes, who signed a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason.

Baltimore added Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano this offseason, but neither of these two will replace Burnes.

The Orioles will also be without Grayson Rodriguez and Trevor Rogers to begin the season as well.

CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa recently made the bold prediction that the Orioles would trade former top prospect Heston Kjerstad in a trade to acquire a pitcher this season.

“GM Mike Elias doesn’t seem to like trading his top prospects (who does?), though it kind of feels like Kjerstad is more useful to the Orioles as a trade chip than as a bench guy,” Axisa wrote. “

So, for this bold prediction, I say Elias will give in and trade Kjerstad for a starting pitcher this summer, specifically one with control beyond 2024.

Who that is, I do not know, but there are a few guys in South Florida who would make sense.” This prediction makes a lot of sense.

If the Orioles end up chasing an ace like Sandy Alcántara or Dylan Cease on the trade market, Kjerstad would likely be the beginning of a huge trade.

While he might not have a clear path to playing time in Baltimore, it’s important to note that Kjerstad is still just 26 years old and he packs a lot of talent.

The outfielder has some of the best raw power in Baltimore’s entire organization.