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Blue Jays’ ace Dylan Cease finishes 11th in AL MVP voting

Blue Jays’ ace Dylan Cease finishes 11th in AL MVP voting
Photo credit: © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Nov 13, 2026, 17:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 13, 2026, 13:41 EST
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It’s safe to say that the first season of Dylan Cease’s contract was a success for the Toronto Blue Jays.
 On Thursday, the American League MVP was announced, with Houston Astros’ designated hitter Yordan Álvarez capturing the award. Cease earned some votes as well, one seventh-place vote, three eighth and ninth-placed votes, and a 10th-place vote, landing him 11th in MVP voting.
It’s not the first time Cease has received MVP votes, finishing 22nd in AL MVP voting in 2022 and 22nd in National League MVP voting in 2024.
In both those seasons, Cease also earned Cy Young votes, finishing as a finalist (second) in 2022 and fourth in 2024. Earlier this month, Cease was announced as a finalist for the American League Cy Young, eventually finishing second behind New York Yankees’ ace Cam Schlittler.
Signed to a seven-year, $210 million deal last off-season, Cease’s performance this past season was the biggest reason the Jays even had a chance at the postseason.
Across 29 starts, Cease authored a 2.40 ERA and 2.56 FIP in 169 innings of work, with his FIP standing as a career-best and his ERA as the second-best mark. Cease also struck out a boatload of batters, finishing the season with a 34.9 strikeout rate, second-highest among qualified pitchers in Major League Baseball.
Hopefully, the following six seasons go just as well.
There were also a handful of former Blue Jays who received MVP votes in the National League. Catcher Gabriel Moreno finished sixth in NL MVP voting, earning three third-placed votes, as well as several fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh-placed votes.
Otto López has really found a home with the Miami Marlins, leading Major League Baseball in hits in 2026. He finished 13th in NL MVP voting, earning seventh and eighth-placed votes, as well as two ninth-place and six 10th-placed votes. He really is the “one that got away” in this generation of Blue Jays baseball.
Ty France was the lone Blue Jay who won a Gold Glove in 2025, doing so at first base. He probably should have won it this season as well, but he made a massive impact with the bat in 2026. Over 133 games with the San Diego Padres, France slashed .295/.363/.502 with 21 home runs in 500 plate appearances for a 141 wRC+.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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