đ„ BREAKING NEWS: The Blue Jaysâ blockbuster move for Padres ace Dylan Cease suddenly forms one of the most impressive rotations in MLB âĄ.DD
Toronto’s rotation just got better.
Free agency is a big piece of the puzzle for organizations in the offseason as teams are trying to get better for the upcoming season. The Toronto Blue Jays have a lot of players on their radar this offseason as they try to avoid another heartbreaking ending to their season.
The Blue Jays maybe weren’t the ballclub that everyone expected to make the World Series, but they sure put everyone on notice as the team took the reigning world champions to seven games. Now, management is doing everything in its power to take home another AL Pennant and get back to the Fall Classic.
The Achilles heel for the Blue Jays was their pitching staff, even though they were nearly flawless in the postseason. Their bats were the clear highlight of their season, and now the organization is doing everything in its power to address the weakness that was the pitching staff.
The first move that was made during the offseason was regarding Shane Bieber, who signed a one-year deal nearly as soon as the final game of the year was over. But, he isn’t the only addition to the rotation, as the newest member was recently announced.
One of the biggest names in free agency was a starting pitcher from the San Diego Padres, Dylan Cease. As first reported by Jon Heyman, Cease just signed a massive seven-year $210M deal, which means he is no longer a free agent, but a member of the Blue Jays’ organization.
Cease in the Majors
Cease was actually drafted by the Cubs back in 2016, but he never played for the team. Instead, he spent the majority of his time with their cross-town rivals, the White Sox, and since his debut back in 2019, he has posted five consecutive seasons with 214+ strikeouts.
Eventually, he landed with the Padres after a trade before the start of the 2024 season, and while he hasn’t had career-best seasons, it is important to note that he had one of the worst defenses in baseball behind him. In his past two seasons with the Padres, he’s averaged a 4.03 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, 220 strikeouts per year, and an opponents’ batting average of .220.
The pitching staff for the Blue Jays wasn’t the worst in baseball by any means (that was the Colorado Rockies), but if a team wants to win a championship, then everybody must be firing on all cylinders. With the addition of Cease, as well as Bieber, young sensation Trey Yesavage, and a healthy Jose Berrios, it seems that Toronto will be pretty tough to beat.
Opening day for 2026 is far off, but the Jays are more than prepared for it and ready to redeem themselves.
