Orioles could wreck the Yankees offseason with one bold front office swing

The Baltimore Orioles have already enjoyed a monumental offseason. President of baseball operations Mike Elias and the front office traded for Taylor Ward and Shane Baz, bolstered the bullpen by signing Ryan Helsley, and shocked the baseball world with their blockbuster deal for Pete Alonso.

Now it's time for Elias and Co. to finish off the offseason in grand fashion, and send the New York Yankees fanbase into chaos with one simple phone call. Both the Orioles and Yankees are said to be targeting Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera, but there's no way New York can match what Baltimore has to offer in terms of prospect capital.

With all things being equal, this is a trade the O's should make right now. Not only do the Orioles still need to add a frontline starter this offseason, but crushing the Yankees' dreams while doing so only makes such a trade even more enticing.

The Orioles could trade for Marlins starter Edward Cabrera and sink the Yankees' offseason in one fell swoop

Rumors of the Yankees' pursuit of Cabrera emerged over the weekend. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) broke the news, and singled out their desire to add at least one more starting pitcher to the mix.

But the Yankees and Orioles are not the only two teams bidding for Cabrera's services. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets are in the hunt as well. The difference, however, between the O's and every team mentioned has been Elias' aggressive approach. While the Yankees, Mets, and Cubs have all talked a big game, the Orioles have backed it up with big-time trades and massive free agent deals.

Cabrera fits everything the Orioles are seeking in a top-of-the-rotation starter. He's young (27 years old), inexpensive (entering Year 1 of his arbitration window), and under team control for multiple years (won't reach free agency until 2029). Cabrera went 8-7 with a 3.53 ERA in 26 starts last season and struck out 150 batters over 137⅔ innings of work.

Securing the Marlins' right-hander won't be cheap (in terms of prospect capital), but pulling off this trade would put the O's in perfect position to shake things up in the AL East next season. Adding to the Yankees' misery, however, that's the cherry on top.