The White Sox have never been a team to spend big on a free agent, as the largest contract they have given out to any free agent is a five year, 75 million dollar deal to Andrew Benintendi. Their reluctance to spend has lead them to trade away some of their better players over the years, as the team knew they were not going to be able to keep up with the asking prices in free agency.
Dylan Cease was a recent example of this, as he only had two years left of control when the White Sox traded him to the San Diego Padres. The White Sox knew they were not going to be a competitive baseball team and they also knew they would not pay up for him in free agency or an extension, especially considering Cease is a Scott Boras client.
Now, two years later, after seeing what Cease fetched on the open market, trading him and getting prospects in return seems like a solid move, even if the prospects haven't quite panned out yet.
According to Jeff Passan, the Toronto Blue Jays and Cease are in agreement on a massive seven year, 210 million dollar contract.
Right-hander Dylan Cease and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a seven-year, $210 million contract, pending a physical, sources tell ESPN. The defending American League champions get one of the best arms on the free agent market.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 26, 2025
This is an astounding payday for Cease, as he now joins the reigning American League champions who were just a few outs away from a World Series win. This is a big addition for the Blue Jays, but at this point, it does seem like a bit of an overpay.
Last year, Cease started 32 games. In those 32 starts, he threw 168 innings, pitching to a 4.55 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP, en route to just 1.1 WAR according to Baseball Reference. There is a lot to unpack from these stats, but perhaps the most surprising is the innings pitched considering he started 32 games.
Cease is among the most durable pitchers in the majors, if not the most durable. He consistently makes 32 starts a year, which is very rare and valuable in today's league. However, just 168 innings over those starts averages just 5.25 innings a start. That isn't what you want out of a 30 million dollar man.
However, Cease probably has some of the best pure stuff in the game. Cease's 11.5 K/9 ratio was the best in the league last season, but he also walked 3.8 batters per nine innings. His walk percentage is in the 20th percentile according to Baseball Savant, which isn't ideal. However, his swing and miss stuff is absolutely elite, which can certainly make up for his shortcomings in terms of walks.
In 2022, Cease had one of the best seasons from a starting pitcher in a White Sox uniform in a long time, and probably should have won a Cy Young that season. However, since then, it has been up and down for both the Sox and the Padres. The stuff is there and he can be extremely valuable to any major league team, but 210 million over seven years for a pitcher entering his age 30 season is always a risky bet, especially if they have walk issues.
Time will tell how this contract will age, and Cease certainly deserved a nice payday, but it was a bit surprising to see him get this much, especially this early in free agency. We wish Cease nothing but the best of luck in Toronto.
