The reaction to Dylan Cease landing a massive deal with the Toronto Blue Jays caught some heat. The right-hander has been a very good arm throughout his career, but there have been times when he just doesn’t look as great as he should.
A seven-year, $210 million contract for a pitcher coming off a 4.50 ERA showing definitely leads to questions from the casual fan. Whether fair or not, fans typically want to see a lower ERA.
However, if Cease ends up throwing the baseball at the level he’s expected to, just as he did in his first start for the Blue Jays against the Athletics, we could be looking at one of the best starters in baseball. Zachary Rotman of FanSided believes that will be the case, predicting that he’ll end up as an American League Cy Young candidate.
“Many scoffed at Dylan Cease getting a seven-year, $210 million deal after posting a 4.50 ERA in 2025, but the Toronto Blue Jays looked past his ERA and believed he was an elite pitcher worth a mega-contract. In his Blue Jays debut, we’re seeing why…
“Sure, Cease has a pair of 4.50 ERA seasons in his last three years, but he also has two top-four finishes in the Cy Young balloting. He also has five straight years of at least 165 innings and 214 strikeouts. When he’s on, he’s incredibly tough to square up and eats a ton of innings. With an elite defense behind him and his strikeout stuff in top form, another dominant season could be on the horizon.”
Predicting him to finish as a Cy Young candidate certainly makes a lot of sense. The Blue Jays will be a good team, so his record will be very good, he’s going to strike batters out, and he’s likely going to limit runs.
Those three combinations typically find starters in a good spot to win awards.
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