The Blue Jays made a significant move on Wednesday by signing Dylan Cease to a reported 7-year, $210 million contract, as first reported by the MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

Does this mean they’re done building the rotation for 2026?

It’s so early in the offseason that this is a difficult question to answer, even if it may seem like that’s the case right now. As things currently stand, the Blue Jays have a potential juggernaut of a starting staff set up for next season, with Cease joining Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber (who opted in for 2026), Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios to line up a fearsome five-some. On paper, you could argue that the Blue Jays have the best rotation in baseball here in November, but of course, a lot could change before Opening Day, both in Toronto and across the league.

While this is purely speculation on my part, I have to admit that not long after reading the news about Cease’s signing, I started thinking about what this addition could mean for the rest of the work that the Jays’ front office needs to accomplish this winter.

They’re expected to seek a big bat, whether that’s bringing back Bo Bichette, winning the bidding for a 5-tool star like Kyle Tucker, or maybe stealing Cody Bellinger away from their division rivals in New York. They’ve also been linked to most of the quality closers on the free agent market, and they have the depth in their organization to pull off a pretty significant trade as well, if they so choose. Of course, there will be a limit to how much they can add to their already record payroll, but it’s clear that ownership isn’t afraid to spend after seeing the Blue Jays reach the World Series for just the third time in franchise history (and raking in some sizeable playoff revenue).

Even with that commitment from ownership, though, I can’t help but wonder if Atkins and his team might look to move a bigger contract to open up some extra payroll space, and it wouldn’t surprise me if that subtraction came from the newly formed super-rotation. No, I don’t think they’re going to trade Kevin Gausman, even if he’s a pending free agent, and Bieber and Cease inking new contracts means they’re obviously not going anywhere. I probably don’t even need to say this, but I think there’s a better chance of yours truly making a start at the Rogers Centre in 2026 than Yesavage pitching in a different uniform.

What about Berrios?

The 31-year-old had a down season in 2025 by his standards, and unfortunately, some late-season elbow inflammation kept him from joining the rest of the roster on the field throughout the playoffs. That said, Berrios was still an important contributor, making 31 appearances (30 starts) and throwing 166 innings. His performance dipped late in the season and it was a question mark whether he would make the Blue Jays’ playoff rotation, or even the postseason roster at all, but the front office was relieved of making that tough decision, as they had to early on with both Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer, two other veterans that had to watch from the sidelines during the ALDS.

With the news of Cease’s signing, Berrios could find himself in a similar spot to where he landed late in the 2025 campaign. He’s a valuable veteran who was the Blue Jays’ Opening Day starter on three different occasions, and as recently as last year. He’s been one of the most durable arms in the game for many years, and in theory, he should still be in the latter part of his prime. The fact that he’s as far down as 4th or 5th on the Blue Jays depth chart is a significant luxury, but also shows the quality high-end depth of this group after they retained Bieber and now added Cease.

In no way am I suggesting that the Blue Jays should look to just rid themselves of his salary, even if they may prefer to allocate it differently. The Puerto Rican-born right-hander is due to make 19 million in 2026, and then has a potential opt-out at the end of the year, which would forfeit the rest of the two years and 48 million he’s slated to make in 2027-28. That opt-out complicates his value a bit to be sure, but whether you’re looking at three years and 67 million remaining on his deal, or even just one year at 19 million, Berrios will have value on the trade market, and there should be plenty of teams interested if the Blue Jays decide to shop him at all.

I’m suggesting this possibility for a few reasons, and I’ll again reiterate that this is strictly speculation on my part.

First, as I’ve already mentioned, I think there’s a chance that Atkins and the front office see an opportunity to shuffle some budget around, and paying 19 million for a fifth starter is certainly a luxury. In theory, they could roll with someone like Eric Lauer at the back of their rotation on the cheap, look for other cost-effective, back-end rotation options, or even bring back someone like Chris Bassitt or Max Scherzer to fill out the rotation for less than 19 million. The way that Scherzer spoke during an interview earlier this week made it sound like he expected to be back in Toronto next season. I don’t think it’s out of the question that they could sign him for 10 million or less on a one-year pact, and potentially use that extra 9-10 million for their other needs.

Secondly, I have to admit that I wondered if Berrios wouldn’t end up as a trade candidate, even before the news of Cease’s signing broke. While the details of Berrios’ quiet end to the 2025 season were swept under the rug and overshadowed by the team’s playoff success, I’ve questioned for a while if the whole thing caused a strain between the veteran hurler and the Blue Jays’ decision makers. Again, that’s speculation on my part, but Berrios’s lack of presence on the bench at times throughout the playoffs was noticeable, especially in contrast to watching guys like Scherzer and Bassitt acting as cheerleaders even when they were left off the active roster. I may be overthinking things there, but it certainly gave me pause, and I know I’m not the only one who has considered this possibility.

Thirdly, the Blue Jays are obviously ready to push their chips into the middle of the table for another 2026 run, but they’re also looking at things through a more long-term lens as well, and Cease’s new seven year contract reinforces that line of thinking. With the potential of losing both Gausman and Bieber after next season, it would be a big blow to see Berrios also follow them out the door if he chooses to opt out in just under a year’s time, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Blue Jays wanted to get ahead of something like that. Of course, trading away Berrios doesn’t fill a future hole in their rotation, but it might give them some added financial flexibility for another multi-year contract, and an immediate spot in their 2026 rotation as well.

After the first major move to bolster the Blue Jays’ roster, there are many different paths the front office could travel for the remainder of the offseason, but I think it’s safe to say that they’ll continue to be active and probably quite aggressive. As they turn their attention to improving the bullpen and continue to pursue the likes of Bichette, Tucker, and more, one domino falling could certainly put others in motion as well, and a lot could still change.

While it looks like the rotation is all full and set up to be one of the best in baseball for 2026, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some tweaking left to do before Atkins’ work is done.

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