The Toronto Blue Jays are taking a page out of the book of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
News broke on Wednesday that the Toronto Blue Jays have signed free agent pitcher Dylan Cease, formerly of the San Diego Padres. Cease has landed a seven-year, $210 million contract from the reigning AL pennant winners.
Later in the day, Dennis Lin and Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reported on the interesting details about Cease’s contract. Most notably, the righty Cease has deferrals in his big new contract with the Blue Jays.
Cease’s deferrals will bring the present-day average annual value of his contract to around $26 million per year. You can read The Athletic’s full report on the situation here.
Soon to turn 30 years old, Cease had an up-and-down year for the Padres in 2025, going 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. While Cease still has impressive swing-and-miss stuff (striking out over 200 batters for a fifth straight season), that volatility combined with his age make him a risk for the Blue Jays over the life of a seven-year deal.
That said, the Blue Jays are limited their downside potential by including deferrals in Cease’s new contract. With the likes of Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt currently in free agency themselves, Toronto is reloading with the signing of Cease (to go along with the other big-name pitcher who is returning to the Blue Jays for 2026).
