The Toronto Blue Jays made the biggest move of the offseason so far on Nov. 25, signing starting pitcher Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal.

Cease commanded the biggest free-agent contract in the franchise’s history, $60 million higher than the previous record held by George Springer’s $150 million contract.

The Blue Jays addressed their need for solid starting pitching with their signing, but ESPN’s David Schoenfield and Bradford Doolittle ranked the signing a ‘B’.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 01: Dylan Cease #84 of the San Diego Padres reacts after retiring the side in the second inning against the Chicago Cubs d…Read More

“In the case of Dylan Cease, it makes a lot of sense for him to sign early while the money is there,” Doolittle and Schoenfield wrote. “He’s a pitcher with clear skills and ability but also frustratingly inconsistent results, which was going to lead to a wide variance in how teams evaluated him — and thus what offers he received. The $210 million deal the Toronto Blue Jays gave Cease is closer to the high end for him, given Kiley McDaniel’s projection of five years, $145 million.

“…At a minimum, the Blue Jays get a solid middle-of-the rotation starter to go with Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios. The good version of Cease is a No. 2 starter who sometimes looks like an ace. If Bieber is healthy for the entire season and Berrios’ late-season elbow inflammation was just temporary, that’s a rotation that could be as good as any in the game.”

Cease had a down year in 2025 after placing fourth in NL Cy Young voting the year prior, posting a 4.55 ERA through 168 innings pitched. While his ERA numbers rose, the main part of the right-hander’s game stayed consistent: His strikeouts. Cease led MLB with his 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings, and his 29.8 percent strikeout rate placed just outside of the top 10 percent in MLB.

Blue Jays starters struck batters out at a 22.2 percent clip in 2025, placing them 15th in MLB. Adding a pitcher like Cease to the fold is sure to add some much-needed dynamism to their rotation, and is a solid first step in returning to the World Series.

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