Overview
- MLB insider Bruce Levine said on 670 The Score that Chicago is viewed as a top suitor for Dylan Cease this winter, a report echoed by MLB Trade Rumors, with no formal talks disclosed before free agency opens after the World Series.
- Cease, 30, is coming off a 4.55 ERA over 168 innings in 2025, yet he remains a durable, high-strikeout starter with stronger underlying metrics and five straight seasons of 32+ starts and 200+ strikeouts.
- His 97.1 mph fastball and elite strikeout rate address Chicago’s needs, as the Cubs’ rotation ranked near the bottom in velocity (93.1 mph) and posted a modest 20.5% strikeout rate in 2025.
- Cease is expected to reject a qualifying offer and is represented by Scott Boras, with one projection cited at roughly six years and $158.5 million, suggesting a costly, opt-heavy market.
- Analysts note that landing Cease would buck Jed Hoyer’s pattern of avoiding $100 million pitching deals and QO-attached signings, with multiple clubs—potentially including big spenders like the Mets—likely to be in the mix.