The Toronto Blue Jays’ recruiting pitch excited Dylan Cease as much as his own tosses.

“You could tell they built a really impressive culture,” Cease said during a news conference Tuesday at baseball’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., a week after finalizing a seven-year contract worth $210 million US.

“As they were explaining sort of what they do to get the best out of players or how they prepare, and even the little things like travel and whatnot, you can just tell that it’s a buttoned-up organization. They want to win, and it was obvious.”

After coming within two outs of their first World Series title since 1993, the Blue Jays added the right-hander to a rotation projected to include Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios.

“They’ve proven that they have championship-calibre players and obviously a good process. That was probably the number one thing,” Cease said. “And then from there, it was also how would they help me maximize and develop and basically reach my potential more often? That was important to me. That was probably the second-biggest consideration.”

Toronto won the American League East this year for the first time since 2015. Mark Shapiro left the Cleveland Indians to succeed Paul Beeston as team president after that season and brought along Ross Atkins as general manager.

“Over time as we went through some down years in the time that Mark and I were there, we poured into the resources that help players improve,” Atkins said. “As that started to bubble up into wins, we then poured more money into resources around free agency and investing in players more long-term in a significant way.”

WATCH | Cease said decision to join Blue Jays was ‘inevitable’:

Toronto headed off free agency for slugging first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. when it agreed in April to a 14-year, $500-million deal that starts next year.

Cease’s agent, Scott Boras, had dealt with Blue Jays chairman Edward Rogers last off-season when Toronto tried to sign Juan Soto.

“They listened to what players wanted in amenities, what players wanted in technology to help them improve, what players needed and wanted in the routines medically,” Boras said. “And the staffing for that was provided. The facilities are certainly in the player community held as best in class.”

Cease had Gausman’s telephone number and spoke with the pitcher.

“As I asked around, no one had any negatives to say about it,” Cease said. “The consensus has been you’re going to love the city, you’re going to love the organization.”

Cease, who turns 30 on Dec. 28, is 65-58 with a 3.88 earned-run average and 1,231 strikeouts in 188 starts over seven big league seasons. He went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts this year for San Diego, striking out 215 and walking 71 in 168 innings. His 29.8 and Boston’s Garrett Crochet (31.3 per cent).

“He by no means needs to get better, but because of that athleticism and durability, the potential is there for him to continue on an incredible trajectory,” Atkins said.

Cease’s contract includes $64 million in deferred payments due through 2046. He isn’t worried about the value of the money decreasing over the two decades.

“I think inflation is just a reality. In general it’s going to happen,” he said. “I trust Scott, I trust the business side of it. When he says, hey, this is a good, fair deal, and explains why and is objective about it, it makes sense. I think it’s a fair deal, and I’m really not worried about it. If I can’t make that last, we’ve got problems.”

Don’t blame Kiner-Falefa for short lead, Schneider says

Having watched the play countless times, Blue Jays manager John Schneider doesn’t want Isiah Kiner-Falefa to be criticized for getting thrown out at home plate in Game 7 of the World Series — inches short of scoring a championship-winning run.

“I feel so bad for Izzy for getting all the blame,” Schneider said Tuesday in Orlando, Fla. “Could we have done a better job of getting Izzy another step or two down? Yeah, for sure.”

After Miguel Rojas hit a tying homer for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the ninth inning, Bo Bichette singled with one out in the bottom half off Blake Snell, and Kiner-Falefa entered as a pinch runner. Addison Barger walked, and Alejandro Kirk was hit by a pitch from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, loading the bases.

Kiner-Falefa took an unusually short 7.8-foot lead at the behest of third base coach Carlos Febles, the fourth-shortest primary lead by a runner off third during the World Series, according to MLB Statcast. Kiner-Falefa’s 8.9-foot secondary lead when the pitcher released the ball was the eighth-shortest at third during the Series.

With the Dodgers playing the infield in, Daulton Varsho hit a 76.9 miles per hour two-hopper to Rojas. The second baseman gloved the ball, stumbled a bit and regained his balance, then threw to catcher Will Smith, who lifted his right foot off the plate as he caught the ball and then pushed his spike back down.

Plate umpire Jordan Baker signalled out, deciding Smith touched the plate just ahead of the left foot of the sliding Kiner-Falefa.

“I’ve seen that video 3,000 times, and in 1,500 of them it looks like Will’s off the plate. In the other half, it looks like he’s on,” Schneider said.

Baker’s call was upheld about 70 seconds later after a video review.

“There’s been video of Carlos kind of telling him where to go,” Schneider said, 5 1/2 weeks after the Dodgers’ 5-4, 11-inning win closed out their second straight title. “What’s not talked about I think enough is the fact that Will Smith likes to back-pick to third with left-handed hitters up. It’s something we talked about before the Series, something that Carlos reminded Izzy of.

“So it’s not runner at third going on contact, selling out, if it’s a line drive you’re OK with it,” Schneider said. “It’s bases loaded. A, you don’t want to get back-picked. B, you don’t want to get doubled up on a line drive. People have said, yeah, what are the odds that Varsh is going to line out to third? Fairly low, right? That’s just where he doesn’t hit the ball.”

Schneider didn’t fault IKF’s slide.

“I don’t really think that he could have done much more,” the manager explained. “People have said, ‘Could he have run through the plate? Could he have slid headfirst? In my head, with the way Varsh hit it, I thought one of three things was going to happen. I thought it was going to be fielded and Rojas falls backwards. Game over. Fielded, falls, throws a worm-burner to the mound. Game over. Or field, throw, throw wide of Will Smith. Game over.”

Ernie Clement followed with a 100.7 miles per hour drive that centre-fielder Andy Pages snagged with a leaping backhand grab on the warning track as he knocked over left fielder Kike Hernandez.

Schneider keeps having memories of the World Series.

“I think I’ll think about it until the day I leave this Earth,” he said, “unless you get another opportunity to kind of squash that one.”