Does this “pitching” search have a conclusion? The absurdly good outfield business of the New York Yankees has given rise to a recent issue – lack of depth in pitching. With the Bronx Bombers desperately needing pitchers, they’ve focused on free agents Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell but it looks like they’re ready to take a punt in the trade market as well. Thankfully for them, there’s a Chicago White Sox ace available in the market. However, fatefully, the road seems twisted.

Dylan Cease’s name has made rounds around the baseball circle. While the White Sox would certainly make this an expensive trade, the genuine worry for the Bombers is that they might not be the only ones ahead in this race.

AL East rivals pose challenge to New York Yankees’ “serious” interest in Dylan Cease

Ever since the New York Yankees traded away most of their top pitching prospects, they have been on the lookout for a pitcher. The Yoshinobu Yamamoto pursuit failed, while other free-agent pursuits are seemingly stuck. So going for Dylan Cease seems reasonable. But Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported some competition here for the Pinstripes. “The White Sox are weighing offers for Cease, and the Yankees and Orioles are among those to express “sincere” interest, according to major-league sources briefed on the discussions. “ 

Cease has been one of the major stars of the White Sox squad in the past few years. But things may have changed last season. A normally consistent and dangerous Cease looked like a shadow of himself. It wasn’t his talent that was the issue; it was the fact that the opposition seemingly figured him out. This could’ve been a coaching issue as well. Perhaps a change in scenery and coaching staff can help with Cease’s improvement.

This has led to a belief that Cease’s trade could be imminent. Though with two years still left in his contract, there’s no rush on the ChiSox side. But the Yankees seem to be in a rush, given their messy rotation. They need a pitcher and they need one right now. The two years in Cease’s contract just make him even more attractive. But with competition from teams like the Baltimore Orioles, it’ll be an interesting journey for the Yankees.

Watch This Story: These Top 5 Eye-Raising MLB Contracts Will Definitely Leave You Stunned

Bronx Bombers vs the baseball world

Rosenthal named the Boston Red Sox, the Orioles, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the St. Louis Cardinals as possible challengers for the Yankees in this race for Dylan Cease. With the White Sox looking for top prospects in exchange for Cease, having a good farm system becomes necessary for teams.

With a high-performing farm system, the Orioles are much ahead of the rest. The Cardinals and Dodgers have already invested a lot in pitchers this offseason, so they might not go deep for Cease. So for now at least, it looks to be Orioles vs Yankees. Will the Yankees’ search end here?

Read more: New York Yankees’ Blake Snell Interest Grows, as Bombers Back Out of Japanese Ace Deal