Owing to the timing and the holiday, I didn’t really have a chance to sit with my thoughts on the Blue Jays signing Dylan Cease, and comment a little more completely on how it struck me.
On the whole, I agree with a lot of what Michael said, about the Cubs “missing” on Cease not really bothering me … so long as the Cubs ACTUALLY step up and add one of the many, many other interesting front-half starting pitchers available in free agency or trade this offseason.
I think it’s important, then, to reiterate that the deferrals in Cease’s deal make it worth a whole lot less than the initially-reported seven years and $210 million, and the market should still be ripe for the Cubs to improve. Indeed, when you factor in the deferrals, the seven-year, $182 million contract for Dylan Cease is really not much outside the expectations most of the industry had for what it would take to sign the 30-year-old power righty.
It’s still a lot of money, of course, for a guy whose results combined over the last three seasons are, by ERA-, about 2% worse than league average. No one can deny the elite strikeout ability for a starting pitcher, or the fact that he has probably been at least a little unlucky by the results for parts of the past few years. Would I, personally, have wanted the Cubs to commit to that contract at the exclusive of other possible deals? I would not. Time may prove me wrong. But it’s not as if I would’ve complained about Cease on the Cubs at that price, as the contract was not wildly outside folks’ expectations when you consider the deferrals. Maybe a touch higher than expected, but that’s often what happens for the first guy to sign, since he was targeted for an early signing.
To that point, I will say this: good on the Blue Jays.
Whether I would be on board with the signing or not, I definitely like the idea of teams aggressively targeting a guy they believe can be ESPECIALLY good for them going forward, and paying a little more than expected to ensure they can get the deal done.
Maybe that’s me being hopeful on a much smaller scale with Phil Maton, but I respect it. I’m reminded – again, a much smaller scale – of the Cubs’ Matthew Boyd signing last year. The Cubs clearly believed he could be very good for them in 2025, so they jumped relatively early with a contract that was well above what folks had been expecting for him. And they were right.
The Blue Jays are taking a very big swing here, but they have a belief in what’s coming next for Cease once they get him into their organization.
"It's not as much about what you've done as compared to what we believe you'll do with us…"@JeffPassan breaks down what Dylan Cease will bring to the #BlueJays starting rotation with @SNJeffBlair & Kevin Barker. pic.twitter.com/zB1z7IbUwf
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) November 27, 2025Speaking of all that, though, there’s a situational comp floating around that I don’t really see as fitting:
Entering free agency at same age: Max Scherzer 117 ERA+ | 88 OPS+ 18.1 K-BB% +46 run value 26.1 fWAR Dylan Cease 110 ERA+ | 89 OPS+18.6 K-BB% +51 run value 21.0 fWAR Both got 7 years for $210M. Perhaps a stretch, but you can dream on it.pic.twitter.com/JWe2sLXrjl
— Paul Hembekides (Hembo) (@PaulHembo) November 27, 2025Very superficial similarities there (including some massive deferrals, actually – the Nats are still paying Scherzer!), though you do have 10 years’ worth of inflation that make those contracts actually pretty different. Scherzer’s deal at the time was not only top-of-market, it blew the market away. Cease’s deal, when considering the deferrals, is actually quite a bit smaller than the eight-year, $218 million deal Max Fried signed with the Yankees last year.
The main difference between the Cease and Scherzer signings, though, is that, prior to signing, Cease was a guy with great peripherals whose results have been lagging. Scherzer, by contrast, was a monster for the two seasons before free agency: 3.02 ERA over 65 starts, 2.79 FIP, 11.5 WAR, 28.3% K, 6.8% BB. He got even better with the Nationals even in his 30s – which is obviously what the Blue Jays are hoping they can pull off – but the big, big breakout on every level for Scherzer had already taken place for multiple seasons by the time he hit free agency. The Nationals bet more money at the time, but the Blue Jays are probably taking the bigger risk.
Sticking with that parallel, though, for one last point for fun: that 2015 free agent turn, you may recall that the Cubs were reportedly in on both Scherzer and a fellow free agent ace at the time, Jon Lester. Because Scherzer was known to be getting a much larger deal, he was seen as a much higher risk/reward proposition, whereas Lester was seen as a safer (but still very strong) play.
The Cubs went the conservative route, and although Scherzer was absolutely the better pitcher during their contracts, pretty hard to complain about all that Lester gave the Cubs. Even if you don’t get the tippy top guy, you can still wind up very happy about how things played out.
Let’s just hope the Cubs can acquire another very good pitcher this offseason, and then whatever Cease does with the Blue Jays over the next seven years, we won’t really be too upset about it either way.
Hence then, the article about the dylan cease signing comparisons and a kudos for aggressiveness was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The Dylan Cease Signing, Comparisons, and a Kudos for Aggressiveness )
Also on site :
- Rishabh Pant needs a chance! Here’s why Ishan Kishan shouldn’t get selected for IND vs NZ ODIs
- Your Daily Horoscope for Sunday, December 28, 2025
- NHL roundup: League-best Avs rally, edge Knights in shootout