Blue Jays Most Expensive Offseason Signing Named Game Changer for 2026
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After being one win away from hoisting up their first World Series championship since 1993, the Toronto Blue Jays did not take a backseat approach in making their team better for the 2026 season and beyond.
They possess one of the best hitters in the game in Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and a pitching staff to compete with the American League's best. But being one win away meant they were one piece away, in which the front office pounced quickly and signed one of the starting pitchers available on the open market, Dylan Cease.
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Cease signed a seven-year deal worth $210 million, making him the most expensive player the Blue Jays signed in free agency in franchise history. After a down season with the San Diego Padres, in terms of ERA, Toronto is banking on the past that Cease will return to elite status, and so is MLB.com.
Cease Named Crucial Game Changer for 2026
MLB.com listed Cease in a first-place tie alongside Kyle Tucker and former Blue Jay Bo Bichette as the top projected player to help contribute to his new team as early as 2026. What makes him stand above other free agent signees this offseason? Consistency across five seasons.
Cease is projected for another 200-strikeout season, which would be his sixth season in a row reaching that feat. He is also projected to have a sub-4.00 ERA this season, which would greatly help him stand out as the right choice for the Blue Jays to have made this offseason.
"Cease was the centerpiece of a busy offseason of additions for the Blue Jays, who also added pitchers Ponce and Rogers and third baseman Kazuma Okamoto in free agency," MLB.com wrote.
When looking at the projected starting rotation for Toronto, Cease is followed up by Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios, Cody Ponce and Trey Yesavage, which is arguably the best rotation in the American League, if not the entire MLB.
Cease dominanting in a Blue Jays uniform would make the franchise top contenders to come out of the American League again this season. Cease has the playoff experience to his name, but not the success to show for it, which is all the more reason for him to be focused and driven to change that narrative about him.
He's definitely the Blue Jays player to watch this spring training to ensure he can bounce back from getting hit around some last season, or else it could be a bad look for the franchise, given they just inked him for seven years into the future.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.