Overview
- Multiple outlets reported that Cease agreed to a seven-year, $210 million contract with Toronto, which the club has not yet confirmed and is pending a physical.
- Cease brings top-tier swing-and-miss stuff with five straight 200-strikeout seasons and an MLB-best 1,106 strikeouts since 2021, though his results have fluctuated with elevated walk and home-run rates.
- He is expected to slot into a projected 2026 rotation with Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and José Berríos.
- The pact would be the largest free-agent contract in franchise history and reportedly includes deferrals, with Toronto’s payroll projected around $233 million.
- Because Cease declined San Diego’s $22.025 million qualifying offer, the Padres will receive a compensatory draft pick after he signs elsewhere.