Dylan Cease’s 2026 campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays has been one for the record books.

Through 23 starts this season, Cease is 7-5 with a 2.42 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP across 137.1 innings pitched, and has outperformed any expectations that people had when the Blue Jays signed Cease to a record-setting seven-year, $210-million contract, the largest given out in the franchise’s free-agent history.

The 30-year old has recorded over 200 strikeouts for the sixth consecutive season in his career, and became the fastest Blue Jay to ever reach that plateau.  Cease has become the first pitcher to achieve this feat, joining the likes of Chris Sale (2012-2019) and fellow Blue Jay Max Scherzer (2013-2019).

Cease’s career year continues to flourish as he has posted his career-best K/9 of 13.1. Batters have only hit .179 against Cease, and he has been second in MLB in strikeouts post-All-Star break with 53, three behind Gavin Williams. With all the numbers seeming to align, it is very likely that Cease is going to be the frontrunner for Cy Young this season with how dominant he has been on the mound. While Jacob Misiorowski is without a doubt the best pitcher in baseball in 2026, Cease has a good argument for number two in the league.

When evaluating Cease’s numbers, his newly incorporated changeup has held batters to just a .130 average and also has been a pitch that the most batters are swinging and missing against with an impressive 54.1% whiff rate. When comparing to fellow top pitcher Cam Schlittler, Cease’s numbers do exceed Schlittler’s in a few categories.

For one, Cease has fewer innings pitched due to an IL stint for a hamstring strain back in late May. Home runs also favour Cease as he has surrendered only 9 compared to Schlittlers 14. When comparing both pitchers post-All-Star break, Cease has been dominant as he was named AL Pitcher of the Month for the month of July, as well as posting a lower ERA in the second half (2.06) vs. Schlittler (2.70). The numbers do not favour Cease fully as when it comes to things such as WHIP and overall ERA, those still get the nod to Schlittler by only .12 for WHIP (0.941) and ERA (2.19).

Both players currently post the same WAR at 5.1 each, and both have been huge when needed to limit runs for both of their teams. While there is still plenty of time left this season, all numbers do point to Cease being the frontrunner to win his first-ever Cy Young Award after finishing as the runner-up in 2022. While Schlittler is a more than deserving recipient of the award, his age being so young is proof he will be winning a Cy Young in the near future.

With the Blue Jays being off Monday, the opportunity has arisen for the club to shift to a four-man rotation, bumping Cease’s scheduled start to Friday during the series opener in New York. The projected pitcher for the Yankees that evening is none other than Schlittler, giving to two the opportunity to square off head-to-head with Cy Young aspirations on the line.

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