The Toronto Blue Jays made the first big splash of the offseason by signing Dylan Cease to a long-term deal. With Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman, and Shane Bieber under contract, the rotation didn’t seem like a major need for the Jays, but Cease elevates the group from good to elite.
Despite only being worth 1.1 bWAR in 2025, Cease has the talent to be one of the AL Cy Young favourites in the baseball betting markets. He finished runner-up for the award in 2022 and placed fourth for the NL Cy Young in 2024.
Dylan Cease Contract Details
Cease signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Blue Jays in the 2025-26 MLB offseason. All of the money is guaranteed, including a $23 million signing bonus.
Reporting indicates Cease’s deferrals reduce the present-day value to $184.6 million. The signing bonus will be taxed at a markedly lower rate than his salary.
Dylan Cease Stats
Cease has a career 3.88 ERA across 188 starts. He’s walked 3.8 hitters per nine innings and owns a career K-BB% of 18%.
Since his breakout year in 2022, the right-hander has a 3.67 ERA with 11 strikeouts per nine. Over that period, he’s been in the top four for the Cy Young twice and led the majors in strikeouts per nine in 2025.
A 4.55 ERA in 2025 isn’t anything that should alarm Jays’ fans. Cease had a 3.46 xERA and a 107 pitching+. The underlying numbers were still very strong, including a whiff rate in the 95th percentile.
Despite a six-pitch mix, Cease is predominantly a two-pitch guy. In 2025, 82% of his pitches were fastballs or sliders, with the latter ranking among the best pitches in baseball, with a 42.8% whiff rate.
He’s never been named an All-Star, but Cease’s mix of stuff and four consecutive seasons with 168 or more innings pitched make him worth the big-money deal he’s signed.
Dylan Cease 2026 Projections
Blue Jays Dylan Cease Trade Proposal
Cease was rumoured as a trade candidate ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline. Heading for free agency, it was speculated that the San Diego Padres could look to cash in on Cease rather than losing him for nothing.
The Blue Jays were a potential fit for Cease on the trade market, though there was no concrete reporting of a trade proposal. As a rental, the price wouldn’t have been too high, but the Jays would still have had to part with a prospect like Victor Arias or RJ Schreck.
Trading for Cease might have shortened Blue Jays World Series odds in 2025, but signing the former sixth-round pick as a free agent sees Toronto add a potential ace without giving up their farm.
Dylan Cease No Hitter
Cease threw a no-hitter for the Padres against the Washington Nationals on July 25, 2024. He walked three batters and registered nine strikeouts in a 3-0 win, becoming the second pitcher in Padres’ history to throw a no-hitter.
He set a career-high with 114 pitches on the day and became the first pitcher since at least 1901 to go six or more innings and allow one hit or fewer in three straight outings.
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