A day after the Red Sox traded for Sonny Gray, another team in the American League East has responded with a big move in the starting pitching department.
The Toronto Blue Jays, who won their first pennant in more than 30 years last season and took the Los Angeles Dodgers to seven games in a thrilling World Series, have reportedly agreed to terms with free agent Dylan Cease.
The deal, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, is for seven years and $210 million.
Cease would join an already strong Blue Jays rotation that includes Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trea Yesavage and Jose Berrios.
Cease was considered by many as one of the top free agent starter on this year’s market, along with lefties Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez.
In seven big league seasons, Cease, who turns 30 next month, is 65-58 with a 3.88 ERA. He twice finished in the Top 5 in Cy Young Award voting, placing second in the American League while with the Chicago White Sox in 2022 and fourth in the NL in 2024 for the San Diego Padres.
He’s proven to be extremely durable, with 32 or more starts made in each of the last five seasons. In each of those years, he also posted 200 or more strikeouts.
He hasn’t fared particularly well against the Red Sox, however. In six career starts, he’s 1-1 with a 6.04 ERA.
Only six other pitchers — not counting Shohei Ohtani, who does double duty as a DH — have deals in which the annual average value is $30 million or more.
Cease is the first really big name to come off the free agent board this winter. Earlier this month, first baseman Josh Naylor agreed to terms with the Seattle Mariners on a five-year, $90 million deal.
