Pitcher Dylan Cease, a free agent who consistently started at least 32 games across the previous five years, secured a seven-year, $210 million agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to reports given to ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Wednesday.
This agreement, contingent upon a successful physical evaluation, bolsters the Blue Jays, a team already considered formidable, which previously secured the American League pennant and participated in the World Series, where they faced defeat against the Los Angeles Dodgers across seven intense games.
Cease, aged 29, has proven to be a dependable frontline starter over the last five seasons, holding the fourth position during this time frame in pitcher WAR, surpassing individuals such as Tarik Skubal, Max Fried, and Framber Valdez.
The right-handed pitcher’s career has featured periods of notable dominance, intertwined with stretches that, given his talent, have been perceived as less impressive. Specifically, in 2022 and 2024, Cease achieved second and fourth place in Cy Young voting, respectively, while maintaining a 28-19 record alongside a 2.84 ERA. Contrarily, throughout 2023 and 2025, his record stood at 15-21 with a 4.57 ERA.
Cease presents an upward-oriented motion resulting from his elevated arm angle, relying heavily on a fastball/breaking ball-centric power strategy (employing a combination of at least 80% fastball/slider against both right-handed and left-handed batters). This approach is sometimes paired with an increased walk rate alongside a significant whiff rate.
Notably, his slider’s effectiveness decreased during the recent season, shifting from being the league’s most valuable in terms of runs above average during 2024 to opponents achieving a .374 slugging percentage against it in 2025. Nonetheless, Cease is coming off a season that featured a career-high strikeout rate of 29.8% and a fielding independent pitching score of 3.56, reflecting a marginal enhancement compared to his performance between 2021 and 2024.
These peripheral statistics, combined with his age and the shortcomings of the other available starting pitchers, positioned him as a highly sought-after pitcher during the free agency period.
The Padres presented Cease with a qualifying offer of $22.025 million, which he turned down by the Nov. 18 deadline. As a result of his signing with a new team, San Diego will be granted a compensatory draft pick following the fourth round.
Originally selected in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs from Georgia, Cease was initially transferred to the adjacent Chicago White Sox, alongside Eloy Jimenez, within a 2017 transaction headlined by Jose Quintana, before being acquired by the San Diego Padres in exchange for a collection of prospective players during March 2024.
Throughout five years functioning as a full-time starting pitcher, from 2021 to 2025, Cease topped the major leagues in strikeouts, accumulating 1,106, in addition to leading in walks, totaling 361, and wild pitches, with 51.
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and Kiley McDaniel played a part in this coverage.
