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By Patrick McAvoy
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly got the ace-level pitcher they have been looking for this offseason by agreeing to a long-term deal with Dylan Cease.
The news broke on Wednesday night with ESPN's Jeff Passan reporting on X that the Blue Jays and Cease are in agreement on a seven-year, $210 million deal.
"Right-hander Dylan Cease and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a seven-year, $210 million contract, pending a physical, sources tell ESPN," Passan wrote on X on Wednesday. "The defending American League champions get one of the best arms on the free agent market."
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The Blue Jays needed pitching and Cease is a 29-year-old star the team can build the rotation around for the foreseeable future. But that's still a pretty big number. One thing that should fans some solace, though, is that The Athletic's Mitch Bannon reported that deferrals are expected to bring down the annual value of the deal to roughly $26 million per year.
"The Blue Jays have never spent beyond the third competitive balance tax threshold, falling just below the $281 million barrier in 2025," Bannon wrote. "Toronto, per Cot’s Contracts, projected to have a 2026 40-man collective bargaining tax payroll around $235 million before signing Cease. Even after deferments are expected to bring the right-hander’s annual average value down around $26 million, per a league source, the Jays will already be just $20 million from surpassing the third threshold."
Bannon's report immediately made the deal look better. The price of pitching around the league has certainly gone up. Spotrac has a list of the most expensive pitchers for the 2026 season. If Cease were to come in with a $30 million annual average, that would put him at No. 6 on the list between Sonny Gray and Corbin Burnes. With a reported $26 million annual value with deferrals, that would put him at No. 11 between Carlos Rodón and Robbie Ray.
That's perfectly fair for a 29-year-old starter with a career 3.88 ERA and ace-upside. Now, all of the details of the reported deal haven't surfaced yet. But Bannon's report paints it in a better light.
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