Blue Jays and free-agent pitcher Dylan Cease agree to $210 million, 7-year deal, AP source says

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Free-agent pitcher Dylan Cease and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a $210 million, seven-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced.

Cease would join a terrific rotation with the reigning American League champions. The right-hander, who turns 30 next month, went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts last season for the San Diego Padres. He struck out 215 batters and walked 71 in 168 innings.

Cease spent his first five years with the Chicago White Sox, including a 2022 season in which he went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA despite leading the majors in walks. He finished second in AL Cy Young Award balloting.

After one more year in Chicago, he was traded to San Diego in March 2024 and went 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA that season, pitching a no-hitter and finishing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting.

His numbers on the mound slipped this year but he still reached 32 starts for a fifth straight season.

Cease has also had five consecutive years with at least 214 strikeouts, which helps offset his penchant for walks.

Cease was one of the top free-agent pitchers on the market this offseason. He's set to join the Blue Jays, who won the AL East this year and advanced all the way to Game 7 of a thrilling World Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 in 11 innings.

Toronto's rotation already features Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and José Berríos. Chris Bassitt and 41-year-old Max Scherzer, the three-time Cy Young Award winner who started Game 7 of the World Series, became free agents.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Cease is 65-58 with a 3.88 ERA and 1,231 strikeouts in 188 starts over seven big league seasons.

He was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the sixth round of the 2014 amateur draft out of Milton High School in Georgia. They traded him across town to the White Sox in July 2017 as part of a package that netted left-hander Jose Quintana.

Cease turned down a $22,025,000 qualifying offer from the Padres this month, so they would receive draft-pick compensation if he completes the deal with Toronto. Because they will pay luxury tax for this year, that pick would come after the fourth round.

Because the Blue Jays will pay luxury tax for this year, they would forfeit their second- and fifth-highest picks in the amateur draft next July, and their international signing bonus pool for 2026 would be reduced by $1 million.

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AP Baseball Writers Noah Trister and Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB