The Toronto Blue Jays come up one win shy of a World Series title. Instead, the Los Angeles Dodgers came out ahead, hoisting their second consecutive championship. They can learn from their rivals to the southwest by locking up a dominant rotation.
One scribe has tabbed the Blue Jays to make two significant additions to their starting rotation this winter. Toronto heads into the offseason with Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios pencilled in as four of five starters. This scribe believes that Dylan Cease and Tatsuya Imai will walk away from free agency as Blue Jays.
Toronto Blue Jays Signing Dylan Cease & Tatsuya Imai Would Be a Dream
Edward Eng of Jays Journal recently wrote a piece outlining the dream rotation for the Blue Jays in 2026. Included in the piece is the position each of the pitchers would occupy in the rotation.
Eng predicts the Blue Jays will sign Cease of the San Diego Padres and NPB’s Imai to be the team’s No.3 and No.4 starters. According to this scribe, that would leave Gausman at No.1, Bieber at No.2, with Yesavage rounding out the rotation at No.5.
They predict that Gausman’s Quality Starts from the 2025 postseason will earn Gausman the No.1 starter post. Yesavage will have the least pressure to perform if he throws from the end of the rotation, ensuring that he focuses on rounding out his game, Eng reasons.
Cease is projected to earn somewhere between a seven-year, $175 million and a six-year, $196 million contract. On the other hand, Imai could secure an eight-year, $190 million to $200 million deal.
What Does Dylan Cease Bring to the Blue Jays?
Cease is viewed as one of the best pitchers available in the current free agency class. Securing his services for the 2026 season would add a strikeout ace to their rotation.
Cease has been a consistent performer in the MLB. He’s started at least 30 games for the last five seasons, throwing over 200 strikeouts per season, and pitching between 165 and 189 innings per season.
Last year was a bit of a down year for the 29-year-old veteran. In 32 starts, he delivered eight quality starts, 215 strikeouts, to go along with a 1.33 WHIP and a 4.55 ERA.
On November 6th, 2025, the Padres extended a qualifying offer to Cease. Because of this, should the Blue Jays sign the righty, they will owe the Padres a fourth-round draft pick. That seems like a small price to pay to secure a 200-strikeout, 30-game starter.
What Does Tatsuya Imai Bring to the Blue Jays?
Imai’s decision to cross the pond is one of the most anticipated moves of the offseason. The right-handed 27-year-old ace is generating buzz considering his dominant 1.92 ERA, 178-strikeout, three-shutout season for the Seibu Lions.
Some scribes believe the duo of Cease and Imai is two of the top five free agent pitchers available. Travis Sawchik explained the reasoning for placing Cease at No.1 and Imai at No.3 in a recent piece for MLB.com.
“Cease is productive, consistent, and durable,” Sawchik wrote on November 14, 2025. “He’s also two years younger than Framber Valdez, another candidate for the top spot. The righty is entering his age-30 season.”
Cease is in elite company with his streak of five seasons with at least 200 strikeouts per season. Sawchik lists Chris Sale, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer as the four other pitchers who have achieved this feat.
For Imai, Sawchik has this to say.
“Imai is the top international arm on the market,” Sawchik reveals of the No. 3-ranked ace. “While he’s perhaps not a Yamamoto-level talent, for some evaluators, he completes a tier that includes Cease and Valdez. He possesses a wide arsenal that includes a slider, changeup, and splitter. His fastball can touch 99 mph. Some believe his splitter can take a leap forward.”
It would be a great offseason if the Blue Jays could pull off adding both of these arms to their rotation. But, both? That’s the thing that dreams are made of. But then again, stranger things have happened.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Blue Jays Predicted to Hit Free Agent Pitching Jackpot appeared first on Heavy Sports.