The Toronto Blue Jays officially introduced starting pitcher Dylan Cease on Tuesday at the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. At that introduction, Cease talked about his decision to sign with Toronto for seven years and $210 million.
In addition to his appearance at the podium, Cease was a guest on the popular internet show ‘Foul Territory TV,’ saying he wants the Blue Jays to feel like they got a steal after these seven years are done.
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While he didn’t deny that the team getting to the World Series in 2025, or the big contract, helped his decision, he also said that the Blue Jays provided him a very “believable” pathway to improvement over the course of the negotiations.
He wouldn’t say what the plans for improvement were, but he highlighted the work the Jays are doing behind the scenes and said he believes they can help him maximize his potential and maximize his consistency.
While he didn’t say it explicitly, it’s fairly clear that Cease is talking about his control, as that’s been the one major hiccup in his career thus far.
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He’s armed with elite swing-and-miss stuff, registering 215 strikeouts in 168.0 innings in 2025, but he’s also had ballooned walk rates most of his career. He had 71 walks this past season, and he’s led his league in walks twice in his seven-year career. He had 79 walks in 2023 with the White Sox, which didn’t lead the league, but was the highest total of his career.
High strikeout rates plus high walk rates equal high pitch counts, which means not going as deep into the game.
Undoubtedly, Cease would like to go deeper into games, taking stress off the bullpen, and living up to the contract he just signed.
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A seven-year veteran of the Chicago White Sox and Padres, Cease is 65-58 lifetime with a 3.88 ERA. He’s been remarkably durable, making 32 starts or more in each of the last five years, and he made 12 in the 60-game COVID 2020 season. He’s thrown 165 innings or more in each of those years, but he’s never cracked the 200-inning mark, likely because of his high pitch counts. Perhaps with the Jays’ help, he can get to that magic number in 2026.
He figures to pair with Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage and Cody Ponce in the Toronto starting rotation.
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The winter meetings conclude on Wednesday night, and while the move might not come on this day, Toronto is expected to land a big bat still in the offseason.
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