Overview
- Multiple outlets report Toronto reached agreement with Dylan Cease on a seven-year, $210 million contract that is said to include deferrals lowering the luxury-tax AAV to roughly $26 million and the net present value to about $182 million.
- Analysts say adding Cease strengthens a rotation that needed swing-and-miss stuff, with MLB Network’s Yonder Alonso predicting the Blue Jays can return to the World Series.
- Cease is coming off a 2025 season with a 4.55 ERA but led MLB at 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings and has logged the most starts since 2021, with two Top 5 Cy Young finishes.
- Forbes frames the signing as part of Rogers Communications’ broader spending, with Cease providing rotation stability as contracts for Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber near expiration.
- The reported deferral structure draws comparisons to recent Dodgers deals such as Shohei Ohtani’s, prompting debate over whether other clubs, including the Cubs, should adopt similar approaches.