5 bold predictions for the Yankees heading into an all-important 2024 season

Yankees clinch AL East by beating Dylan Cease in final Orioles series

Though the Yankees seem serious about obtaining Cease at this moment in time, all signs point to the White Sox waiting for the Orioles to top their current offer. If Baltimore comes to the negotiating table, no MLB team can beat them. Why would the White Sox new GM Chris Getz settle for anything less?

Whether Baltimore nabs Cease now or midsummer, it seems inevitable he'll be their much-needed splash. He's also coming off a season where he wowed the internet denizens with a large number of "swords," but struggled to execute, pairing his typically high walk rate (79 in 177 innings following a league-leading 78 in 2022) with surprisingly hittable pitching (46 more hits allowed year-over-year in seven fewer innings).

We predict the Orioles nab a version of Cease that's somewhere in between, with high highs and low lows as he makes the switch to the still-intimidating AL East. And the Yankees will see him on a bad day during the penultimate series of the season, when the Orioles come to Yankee Stadium. New York tees off and clinches the division, finishing with 96 wins.

As for October? You'll have to wait for things to play out before we get too crazy.