The Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a seven-year, US$210 million deal with right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease on Wednesday, the Associated Press confirmed.
Cease, 29, was 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA last season with the San Diego Padres. He recorded 215 strikeouts in 168 innings of work.
Standing 1.88 m tall and weighing 91 kg, Cease played seven seasons in the majors with the Padres and Chicago White Sox.
He is a remarkably consistent pitcher, having made at least 32 starts in each of his last five seasons and striking out at least 214 batters each time.
Cease has a career record of 65-58 in 188 starts. He has a 3.88 ERA with 1,231 strikeouts.
He would join an already well-stocked starting pitching rotation, including former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, Kevin Gausman, youngster Trey Yesavage and José Berríos.
Bieber was acquired from Cleveland Guardians before the trade deadline last season. He decided on November 5 to stay in Toronto with his player option, rather than try his luck as a free agent — where he would certainly have obtained a more lucrative contract.
He preferred to stay with the Blue Jays after their run to the World Series, where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
Still work to do
Although the arrival of Cease somewhat fills the void left by the departure of Chris Bassitt, who became a free agent, the Blue Jays management still has work to do in trying to make it all the way to the World Series again.
Pitcher Max Scherzer, a future Hall of Famer, could potentially return to Toronto for another season. The 41-year-old has publicly expressed his desire to help the Blue Jays qualify for the playoffs again.
Star shortstop Bo Bichette is testing the free agent market after spending the first seven years of his career with the Blue Jays.
He had a .311 batting average in 2025 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs before injuring his left knee on September 6. He returned to the lineup in time for the World Series, moving to second base to facilitate his return to play.
