Photo credit: BRWalkoff – x.com
MLB Network panel discusses the impact of the Dylan Cease joining the Toronto Blue Jays rotation, and the top rotations in the American League.
Harold Reynolds and Matt Vasgersian discuss Toronto’s big splash in the free agent pitching market, plus who has the best rotation in the American League.
Cease, 30 next month, entered free agency as a test case of how much modern front offices care about earned run average.
“He checks a lot of the boxes of things the Blue Jays like…” Shi Davidi
recaps the Blue Jays’ reported signing of RHP Dylan Cease and what he’ll bring to the AL champions moving forward.
In two of the past three seasons, his ERA has jumped to the mid-4.00s, including a 4.55 mark in 2025.
However, in just about every other respect, he has been great. He has been incredibly durable.
His control isn’t amazing but he has racked up strikeouts. He has kept his fastball velocity in the upper 90s, while also featuring a slider, knuckle curve and changeup.
Though Cease debuted back in 2019, he has actually never been on the major league injured list, apart from a very brief stint on the COVID list in 2021.
In total, he’s made 174 starts since the start of 2020, which leads all major league pitchers.
On top of the quantity, the quality has been strong. For that same 2020-25 span, he posted a 3.88 ERA.
His 9.9% walk rate was a bit on the high side but he punched out 28.9% of batters faced with a 14.4% swinging strike rate.
Do the Blue Jays have the best rotation in the American League?
Since 2021, Dylan Cease has struck out 1,106 batters – the most in MLB!
Steamer projects Cease to be worth 3.8 fWAR this year. While Kevin Gausman (2.8), Shane Bieber (2.6) Trey Yesavage (2.0) and José Berrios (1.5) make up the rest of the rotation. Together that projects them to be worth 12.7 fWAR.
“Is this the best starting rotation [Blue Jays] in the American League? Is that really a question? I think it’s a fair question. There is other good ones but for me this is pretty tough to beat. What I look at in a rotation is who is your 4 and 5 starters? Those are 1’s and two’s somewhere else. This is the best rotation in the American League on paper for me”.
Cease’s durability plays well in a Blue Jays rotation that now features three pitchers who’ve started at least 158 games since 2021.
Previously on Blue Jays Central