ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on November 26, citing sources, that free agent starting pitcher Dylan Cease agreed to a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The now-former San Diego Padres pitcher has started at least 32 games in each of the last five seasons and will be a significant boost to the Blue Jays’ starting rotation. Moreover, after falling one game short of winning the World Series, Toronto’s front office knows that it has a window to win a championship now.
With Cease now part of their rotation, Jomboy Media’s Chris Rose shared his thoughts on Cease’s reported decision to head north of the border.
“It’s a little bit of a head scratcher,” Rose said in a video published on X on November 26. “I [have] got to be honest. I thought maybe they were going to make a play for Kyle Tucker; I don’t know if they’re still in the game there. But what does Cease bring you? First of all, a guy [who] will make a minimum of 32 starts. He’s done that each of the last five seasons. A guy [who] will give you at least 200 strikeouts a year. He’s done that each of the last five years. He [will also] drive you up a wall.
“I just have to be honest with Blue Jay fans here because watching him pitch, he feels like one of the most talented guys around. There are a few pitchers that have more in their tool bag than Dylan Cease. It feels like he throws 18 different types of pitches. When he’s on, he can throw a no-hitter, [as] we saw in recent years. When he’s not, he’s done after 3 2/3 innings.”
The Blue Jays Paid A lot to Sign Dylan Cease
Nonetheless, while Cease is a big-name player, the Blue Jays have reeled in to bolster their team, Rose doesn’t hold back in questioning whether the price was worth it to land the player.
“I don’t know if that’s worth $30 million a year,” Rose added. “People will say, ‘Oh, he’s going to be the back-of-the-rotation guy, right? You’ve got [Trey] Yesavage, [Kevin] Gausman, and [Shane] Bieber.’ Those are all fair points. But at some point, he’s going to have to deliver.
“Thirty million a year, $210 million over seven years—I think maybe that money could have been spent elsewhere. But wow, credit to Toronto. They stepped on the accelerator this year, put it all together, and I have a feeling they’re going for it, whether through trades or free agency.”
What Does Dylan Cease Bring to the Blue Jays?
Although Rose has concerns about Toronto’s decision to sign Cease, they are betting that the veteran pitcher will become another success story like Gausman. Cease has been a workhorse over the past five seasons, ranking fourth in pitcher WAR during that span, ahead of Tarik Skubal, Max Fried, and Framber Valdez, per ESPN.
The right-hander has had stretches of dominance alongside some disappointing campaigns. Nonetheless, the Blue Jays are betting that their coaching staff can bring out the best in Cease and help him find the consistency to become one of the top pitchers in MLB, which he can be.
In 2022 and 2024, he went 28-19 with a 2.84 ERA, finishing second and fourth in Cy Young voting. In 2023 and 2025, he posted a 15-21 record with a 4.57 ERA.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Blue Jays Get Brutal Words Over Dylan Cease Signing appeared first on Heavy Sports.