The New York Mets have already shown aggression early this MLB offseason, with the team trading away Brandon Nimmo in exchange for Marcus Semien. This proved the front office is willing to make big splashes in both the trade and free agent markets.
The next item on New York’s wishlist is to address the starting rotation. Considering the Mets are big spenders in MLB, it is expected that they will open up the checkbook for big-name players. One of those big-name pitchers is Dylan Cease, who is expected to receive the biggest contract from a right-handed starter this offseason.
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MLB Exec Survey Shows Mets Being the Favorite to Land Dylan Cease
Once the calendar turns to December, things are going to start heating up during MLB’s hot stove season, and the top free agents will start to narrow down where they might sign.
In a recent poll done by ESPN that surveyed 16 executives across MLB’s 30 organizations, 6 of them predict that the Mets will be the one to sign Dylan Cease.
Getty(Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
The next closest MLB organization was the Toronto Blue Jays, who received three votes, and then a few other MLB teams were also sprinkled in with a chance to land the hard-throwing right-hander.
Considering the Mets’ starting staff was a mess at the end of last season, and they still haven’t addressed the issue, many analysts and those who cover the team believe that will be the focal point of the offseason.
As of right now, the top two arms in the Mets’ rotation are David Peterson and Clay Holmes. Peterson had a good 2025 season, but isn’t really a needle-mover as a true ace. Nolan McLean also showed a lot of promise, but he’s young and unproven. As up-and-down Dylan Cease has been as a starter in his career, the one major thing he has going for him is his ability to take the ball every fifth day and his high strikeout ability.
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Disregard the fact that he posted a 4.79 ERA this season over 32 starts.
Since 2021, Dylan Cease has made 32 or more starts in each season, which is pretty much the maximum you can make. He also has five straight seasons of 200+ strikeouts.
Another thing that makes his contract prediction so high (several insiders believe it may reach the $200 million mark) is his ability to rebound in the season after he has a poor or inflated ERA.
For example, Cease posted a 3.91 ERA in 2021. In 2022, a 2.2o ERA in 184 innings.
After posting a 4.58 ERA in 2023, Cease rebounded nicely again with a 3.47 ERA in 20254.
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