One Nomination, One Snub for Blue Jays in 2026 Players Choice Award Finalists
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The awards announcements continue to roll in.
One day after Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Andrés Giménez, Brandon Valenzuela, José Soriano and Nathan Lukes were recognized as Gold Glove finalists for their defensive achievements, the 2026 Players Choice Awards finalists were announced, with Toronto Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease being among those honored.
Cease was nominated for the MLBPA's American League Outstanding Pitcher, alongside fellow nominees Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees and Sonny Gray of the Boston Red Sox.
Cease, who is also expected to be in contention for this year's AL Cy Young Award, had a hugely successful first season with the Blue Jays in what was the first year of a seven-year, $210 million contract signed last December. The right-hander went 11-6 with a 2.40 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP over 29 starts, striking out 239 hitters while holding opponents to a .180 average.
Cease Nominated, Okamoto Snubbed
An Outstanding first year as a Blue Jay 👨🏻
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 15, 2026
Dylan Cease is a Finalist for the @MLBPA’s Outstanding Pitcher Award! pic.twitter.com/sdFhx0A6tO
While Cease was rightfully acknowledged by his fellow players for his tremendous 2026 season on the mound, he was the lone Toronto player recognized after Kazuma Okamoto fell short of being named a finalist in the outstanding rookie category.
Okamoto was shut out despite a debut MLB season that saw him lead the Blue Jays with 33 home runs (second among AL rookies), record a league-best rookie mark of 92 RBI, and be named a finalist for the MLB All-Rookie Team. He also notched 81 runs, 26 doubles and 132 hits, providing some power and an offensive boost to a pop-deficient Toronto lineup.
Instead of Okamoto, the MLBPA gave the nod to Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox, Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers and Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians as finalists. Also snubbed was Chase DeLauter, who is now enjoying a breakout postseason with the Guardians.
In what was a strong AL rookie crop, Okamoto may have been undone by 183 strikeouts, as well as a middling slash line of .232/.310/.452. Still, it's been an extremely encouraging first season for the 30-year-old third baseman, who figures to be even better next season after adapting to the MLB game and to living in North America.
With Cease's nomination, Toronto has matched its total number of finalists from last season's Players Choice Awards. Despite winning 94 games and finishing atop the AL East en route to reaching the World Series, the Blue Jays' only 2025 nominee was Chris Bassitt, who was named a finalist for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year leadership award. Bassitt would ultimately lose out to Brent Suter of the Cincinnati Reds.
While it would have been nice to see Okamoto celebrated for a standout 2026 rookie campaign, Toronto fans can take pride in seeing Cease included among some pretty elite company in the pitching ranks. Plus, both men remain under contract with the Blue Jays for 2027 and beyond.
The Players Choice Award winners will be named during the week of Oct. 26.
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Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.