Blue Jays make big move for Dylan Cease: Salary and contract length

The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t waste any time after coming within arm’s reach of their first championship since 1993. Needing a true No. 1 starter to anchor the rotation, the front office went straight for the biggest arm on the market: Dylan Cease.

The right-hander, one of the most dominant pitchers of the past half-decade, has reportedly agreed to a seven-year, $210 million contract with Toronto. The deal hasn’t been formally announced, but was first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post and quickly confirmed by other national reporters.

For Toronto, the move is a message. The Jays pushed the Dodgers to a Game 7 in the World Series, proving they can go toe-to-toe with baseball’s best, and they now follow it up with a blockbuster signing that completely reshapes the top of their rotation.

A strikeout machine in his prime

Cease, who turns 30 before the 2026 season, brings a résumé few starters can match. He’s the only pitcher in MLB to record 200 or more strikeouts in each of the last five seasons, an unmatched streak in the league. Since 2021 he’s averaged 221 strikeouts a year, and his 1,106 total during that stretch lead all pitchers.

Only Zack Wheeler and Kevin Gausman have cracked 1,000 strikeouts over the same span. That level of dominance, paired with his durability, made Cease one of the safest long-term bets on the market.

He’s more than just velocity, too. His fastball regularly touches 98 mph, his slider is one of the highest-whiff pitches in the sport - topping 100 strikeouts in four straight seasons - and his curveball gives him a third weapon that widens the margin for error. In terms of pure stuff, he sits near the top of the league.

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