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By Patrick McAvoy
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Toronto Blue Jays have tried to add big-name pieces over the last couple of years in free agency, and that very well could be the case this offseason after just missing out on a World Series title.
On Monday, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith shared a column ahead of what could be a big offseason for the organization. He said to expect the Blue Jays to be linked to big-name free agents, including at the high-end of the starting pitching market, and highlighted Dylan Cease.
"In a sense, the Blue Jays have already started their off-season shopping by locking up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a $500 million deal that keeps him off the open market and securing Shane Bieber for 2026," Nicholson-Smith said. "But history tells us the Blue Jays will continue engaging with some big names, starting with Bo Bichette.
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"Expect the Blue Jays to have some interest in Kyle Tucker, the top position player available, as well as the top three starters available: Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, and Ranger Suarez (Cease and Suarez are clients of agent Scott Boras, with whom Atkins has completed deals for the likes of Max Scherzer, Yusei Kikuchi and Hyun Jin Ryu). The real question is whether genuine mutual interest emerges from those preliminary conversations, many of which will take place in Las Vegas this week."
Of the pitchers mentioned, Cease arguably is the most interesting. He's younger than both Valdez and Suarez at 29 years old. His ERA wasn't great in 2025 at 4.55, but his 3.56 FIP is a sign that he dealt with a lot of bad luck. FIP is an imperfect metric that tries to give a view of how a pitcher performs without taking the defense into account.
Cease's advanced metrics tell a different story than his ERA a well. He has intense stuff as shown by finishing the 2025 season in the 95th percentile in whiff rate and 89th percentile in strikeout rate. Cease is the type of guy who could take the Blue Jays' rotation to another level and get the club back to the World Series.
More MLB: MLB Insider Has Big Update On Blue Jays, Bo Bichette
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