After letting a few roster players walk and making a few MiLB deals, the Toronto Blue Jays entered ‘blockbuster’ territory earlier today.

The Blue Jays bolstered the rotation by adding right-hander Dylan Cease on a seven-year, $210 million deal, signing one of the top arms available this winter to the largest free agent contract in franchise history, and the second-largest contract only behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

By adding Cease, the Jays enter the 2026 season with one of the top rotations in not only the American League but also the Major Leagues. He joins Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios, and top prospect Trey Yesavage in the starting five, a mixed group of starters that brings their own special ways to the game. Gausman, Yesvage, and Bieber will more so pick you apart with their varying speeds, mixing in the fastball with their changeup/splitter to get whiffs. Berrios will beat you with his breaking stuff, which can be a top pitch when things are firing on all cylinders. And now they add Cease, a fireball-throwing starter who keeps hitters off balance with his plus slider; similar to Berrios, but throwing much harder.

Now, it’s fair to look at the 2025 season and say that it wasn’t Cease’s best campaign, despite striking out 215 batters. He posted a 4.55 ERA across 168 innings and generated a 1.1 bWAR, the lowest mark of his career since becoming a full-time starter. However, under the surface of those numbers, there is a lot to like about what the Georgia product offers.

Despite the elevated ERA, he put forward a strong 3.56 FIP and kept the long ball in check to a tidy 1.1 HR/9. He also led the league in K/9 (11.5) and produced just 71 walks, good enough for a 3.8 BB/9, and generated a 3.46 xERA with an average fielding team behind him this winter in the Padres (zero in fielding run value). Cease ranked in the 95th percentile in whiffs (33.4%) and sits at a 97 MPH velo with his fastball, a much-needed arm in a Jays rotation that, while skilled, didn’t pack the same type of punch. With five consecutive seasons of 200+ strikeouts and a clean bill of health for most of his career, there is a lot to like about this deal and what Cease brings to the Jays.

What the addition of Cease also does for Toronto is bring stability to the pitching front.

Gausman, Bieber, and Berrios (player option) could all depart the Jays next winter, leaving just Yesavage hanging around before Cease entered the picture. Seven years and $200+ is a steep price to pay, regardless if there are deferrals are not, but that’s the going rate for top-end starters at the moment, and the price tag matches the area Cease was going to land this winter.

It also affirms that Toronto is a destination players want to actually play for, regardless of what US media pundits have said in recent times. Missing out on the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto fuelled that narrative, but adding a pitcher like Cease and having the recent World Series matchup in their back pocket has made the Jays a place that big-time free agents are considering, and ownership is willing to open the bank for the right player.

Adding Cease puts the Jays in a good spot heading into the 2026 season, but the work is not yet done.

Bringing back Bo Bichette would be the cherry on top of this offseason sundae, and adding him and Kyle Tucker would put every Jays fan in a sugar coma if the chips fall the right way. While the trio of players may be a tall order, bringing back Bichette doesn’t seem like a far-fetched idea if you look at who fits on the Jays roster, both from a player and PR perspective. The Jays need a bat of his type, and the mutual interest is there.

While Josh Naylor was the first big name off the free agent board, the addition of Cease to the list of players no longer available has given the Blue Jays some early swagger out of the gate this winter, and that’s before the MLB Winter Meetings in Florida in mid-December.

There is still work to be done for Ross Atkins and the front office, but they are putting the postseason money to good use early on, and now it’s time to keep the foot on the gas and continue improving this roster for another World Series run in 2026.

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