Dylan Cease is working on a new toy this spring.

The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander, who inked a seven-year, $210 million contract over the off-season, aims to become a consistent, front-of-the-rotation starter for the reigning American League champions this season. One factor that could aid him in that pursuit is debuting a new changeup in 2026.

In speaking with reporters at the player development complex on Day 1 of spring training, Cease said he’s developing an off-speed weapon this spring that could help better neutralize left-handed batters, as relayed by MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson. The 30-year-old righty also reiterated his desire and commitment to becoming a dependable, year-after-year front-line starter with the Blue Jays.

For context, Cease has toyed with a changeup throughout his career, although it’s never been more than an afterthought in his arsenal, which revolves around his four-seamer and slider. Last season, he only threw 34 changeups — the second-lowest total of his career, ahead of only the 28 he threw in 2024 — but ditched it entirely after May.

Developing a more effective third weapon to use against lefties will be crucial for Cease as he searches for increased consistency moving forward. For his career, left-handed batters have slashed .239/.325/.406 and struck out only a quarter of the time against him, whereas righties feature a .211/.290/.349 opposing slash line and a 31.5 per cent strikeout rate.

In 2025, Cease’s low-80s curveball — which grades out as below average — served as his third-most-used pitch versus lefties, throwing it 13.4 per cent of the time. But his secondary breaking ball largely proved ineffective, as opponents produced a .321 AVG and .536 SLG against it in those matchups.

Based on Cease’s pitcher profile, the 2022 AL Cy Young finalist would likely benefit more by swapping out his curveball for a vertical-breaking changeup against lefties (perhaps a kick-change), allowing him to attack the low-and-away quadrant of the strike zone — an area he also targets by back-dooring his slider.

Historically, the Blue Jays’ pitching department has fared well with changeups, particularly ones that feature similar pitch characteristics to splitters. Just think of Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage on the current staff, and newcomer Cody Ponce, too. But there are also recent examples with former players, such as Erik Swanson and Trevor Richards.

Pitching coach Pete Walker and the rest of Toronto’s staff welcome exciting challenges like this, and now they have a new one on their hands with the franchise’s most prominent — and its most important — off-season acquisition during the early days of camp.