Dylan Cease Signs with the Blue Jays for $210 Million
Free agent starting pitcher Dylan Cease has reached an agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays for seven years and $210 million, according to sources.
This agreement, subject to a physical examination, reinforces an already competitive team that has proven its worth.
Cease, who will turn 30 next month, has been a reliable starter in the last five seasons, ranking among the best in terms of WAR for pitchers.In five seasons as a full-time starter with the Padres from 2021 to 2025, Dylan Cease led Major League Baseball in strikeouts (1,106), but also in walks (361) and wild pitches (51).
The right-handed pitcher has alternated between dominant and less prominent seasons. In 2022 and 2024, Cease finished second and fourth in the Cy Young voting, respectively, with a 28-19 record and a 2.84 ERA. In 2023 and 2025, his record was 15-21 with a 4.57 ERA.
His power approach, with a vertical movement and a high proportion of fastballs and breaking pitches, has characterized him. Although his slider underperformed last season, Cease is coming off of recording the best strikeout rate of his career, with 29.8%, and an earned run average of 3.56.
These statistics, added to his age and the lack of other available starters, made him one of the most attractive pitchers in free agency.
San Diego offered Cease a qualifying offer of $22.025 million, which he rejected before the November 18 deadline. Due to his signing with a new team, San Diego will receive a compensatory pick in the draft after the fourth round.
Cease, selected in the sixth round by the Chicago Cubs in 2014, originally came to the Chicago White Sox in a 2017 trade involving José Quintana, and was then acquired by the San Diego Padres in March 2024.
In five years as a full-time opener from 2021 to 2025, Cease led in strikeouts (1,106), but also in walks (361) and wild pitches (51).
