Looking to build on their World Series run, the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a seven-year, $210 million dollar contract with free agent right-hander Dylan Cease, the largest pitching deal in franchise history. The contract surpasses the previous club record, the six-year, $150 million dollar deal given to George Springer in 2020.

Cease, who turns 30 next month, was widely considered the top pitcher on the market. He has made at least 32 starts in each of the past five seasons and has been one of the most durable and productive arms in baseball during that span. He has thrown more than 165 innings and struck out over 200 batters in five straight seasons, averaging 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Cease is coming off a down year by his standards, posting a 4.55 ERA over 168 innings with the Padres, but he finished third in the MLB with a 29.8% strikeout rate and owns a 28.6% career strikeout rate, one of the highest among active starters. Over the last five seasons, he ranks fourth in pitcher WAR, ahead of stars like Tarik Skubal, Max Fried, and Framber Valdez.

Cease’s performance has fluctuated at times, but his ceiling remains elite. He finished second in Cy Young voting in 2022 and fourth in 2024, going a combined 28-19 with a 2.84 ERA in those two standout seasons. In contrast, he struggled in 2023 and 2025, going 15-21 with a 4.57 ERA. Even in his down years, however, his strikeout production and durability never wavered.

For his career, Cease owns a 65-58 record, a 3.88 ERA, and 1,231 strikeouts across 188 starts and more than 1,015 innings.

The deal, pending a physical, gives Toronto a high-end starter to anchor its rotation as it chases the championship that slipped away only four weeks ago, when the Blue Jays lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games in the World Series.