What the Blue Jays are getting in strikeout ace Dylan Cease

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The reigning AL champions signed the former San Diego Padres starter to a seven-year, $210-million US contract.

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Published Nov 27, 2025 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 4 minute read

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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease works against a Boston Red Sox batter during a game earlier this year. AP PhotoArticle content

What are the American League champions getting for the $30 million US they’ll pay right-handed strikeout machine Dylan Cease over each of the next seven seasons?

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Let’s start with the rather sizeable splash the Blue Jays made by locking up a pitcher widely considered the consensus best available arm on the free-agent market this winter.

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Though the Georgia native has been inconsistent at times during his career, there’s no disputing Cease’s swing-and-miss arsenal that has baffled big-league hitters almost from the day he made his debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2019.

The Jays also are getting one of the most durable starters in the game, a right-hander who has topped 30 starts in each of his past five seasons.

And, perhaps most importantly, they immediately not only rebuild their starting group, but establish the rotation as the top unit in the AL. A reliable, high-end arm is an impressive and solid foundation.

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The big-money signing — $210 million in total (that also includes deferrals) — confirms the Jays are serious about continuing their momentum.

Not only did they get a pitcher headed into his prime and one with upside, Jays general manager Ross Atkins got ahead of the market with a massive late-November signing.

Digging deeper into the Cease signing and what it means:

What’s the upside?

Beyond the strikeouts and workload that have established Cease as a top-of-the-market starter, if there’s a knock against him is that he tends to walk a lot of hitters (3.8 over nine innings) while his career post-season stats over an admittedly small sample size (8.74 ERA, 5.5 BB/9 in 11-plus innings) are not ideal.

However, even with that track record, we’re betting that the Jays see further upside in the already well-accomplished strikeout ace.

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As good as he has been at points in his career, it can be argued that Cease has yet to get the most out of his “stuff” consistently. The walks stand out as an issue, but Cease instantly gets one of the best pitch-framers in the business in Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk.

Some of his struggles — and his 4.55 ERA — in 2025 could surely be attributed to the Padres’ dodgy defence. His Fielder Independent Pitching ERA was a full run lower.

And now Cease moves to one of the tidiest defending groups in the game.

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From a Jays perspective, the team historically has gotten more out of pitching acquisitions thanks to the work of long-time coach Pete Walker and his staff. Remember that twice in his career, Cease has finished in the top five of Cy Young Award voting.

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Beyond Cease, the signing is just the latest example of Toronto’s attraction as a destination for top-name players. That trend has been growing in recent seasons and was exacerbated by the showcase effect of the World Series that shone a bright spotlight on the team.

Did they overpay for Cease? Perhaps. But that’s just behaving like a big-money team relentlessly driven to win.

The Jays flexed their financial power yet again and it’s clear the rest of the baseball world continues to take notice.

Cease’s back story

Cease was drafted in 2014 by the Chicago Cubs, but never played on the north side of the Windy City, having been dealt across town to the White Sox in 2017.

He made his big-league debut with the White Sox in 2019, making 14 starts and pitching to an uneven ERA of 5.79.

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Cease came into his own as a strikeout machine in the 2021 season, when he led the American League with 12.3 Ks per nine innings, a number that was second best in the majors.

Primarily a fastball/slider pitcher, he built on that momentum the following season when he was voted second in AL Cy Young Award voting, after going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA.

Cease was dealt to the Padres prior to the 2024 season, helping San Diego reach the NL playoffs in each of the past two years, and dazzling by tossing a no-hitter in July of ’24.

His deal with the Jays is the largest the Jays have ever paid to a free agent and the most they’ve ever offered a free-agent pitcher. In dollar value, it stands second behind Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s $500-million mega deal signed in April.

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How is the rotation shaping up?

Where Cease slots in the Jays starting group remains to be seen, but his signing brings instant stability and high-end talent with the departure of veterans Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer to free agency.

Cease joins fellow righties Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, rookie sensation Trey Yesavage and Jose Berrios — who is looking to bounce back from a mostly miserable 2025 campaign. Waiting in the wings as potential security is left-hander Erik Lauer, who was such a big part of the Jays success this past season.

The acquisition certainly allows the Jays to begin 2026 from a position of some depth in the rotation, an important foundation to begin defence of their AL East and AL titles.

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Also worth noting is the momentum factor with first Bieber decided to exercise his option to remain with the Jays for another season and now Cease opting to make Toronto home.

What about Bo Bichette (and whatever’s next)?

With the rotation shored up, the focus surrounding the Jays immediately shifts to what Atkins will do with the offence.

The off-season buzz has painted the Jays as one of the potential leading bidders for outfielder Kyle Tucker, the consensus best available position player of this year’s free-agent class.

With the bulky $210 million they are sending Cease’s way, does that remove the Jays from Tucker’s market?

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com floated an interesting theory: If the Jays indeed remove themselves from the pursuit of Tucker, does that mean that Bichette (who is expected to draw considerably less) becomes their top position player priority?

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What the Blue Jays are getting in strikeout ace Dylan Cease

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