The Toronto Blue Jays have one of the most complete starting rotations this season but could already be looking at ways to improve it in the offseason.
As baseball’s insiders try to gauge the upcoming free agency market, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com believes the Blue Jays could be in the race for San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease.
“Cease has struggled with consistency this season, posting a 5-11 record and 4.61 ERA in 25 starts,” wrote Feinsand. “His velocity, whiff percentage and strikeout percentage all remain near the top of the league rankings, though walks and a lack of ground balls have hurt him at times. Cease remains one of the most durable starters in the game — he’s on track for his fifth straight season with at least 32 starts — and will surely draw interest from a number of pitching-needy clubs.”
It’s a bit of a down year for Cease as he posted a 3.47 ERA in 2023. Teams will be obsessed with his durability as he’s made at least 30 starts over the previous four seasons. His ERA increased up to 4.71 after his 26th start of the season against the San Francisco Giants.
The Blue Jays will have plenty of rotation spots to fill as Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber and Chris Bassitt are all expected to become free agents. Cease would slot in toward the top of Toronto’s rotation.
Spotrac shows Cease is expected to receive a six-year deal worth $156.5 million in free agency. That translates to just over $26 million per year as he enters his prime.
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