The Toronto Blue Jays were just two outs away from their first World Series championship in 32 years, and they don’t seem satisfied. At least, not based on the decision they reportedly made on Wednesday.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the deal for Cease is pending a medical and that the contract will contain deferrals.
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It’s a great time to look at the type of pitcher the Blue Jays are acquiring, their fit with Toronto, and the potential fantasy implications for the 2026 campaign.
What type of pitcher was Cease?
A good one. For the most part. Cease was a sixth-round pick – although that “low” of a draft has a lot more to do with financial terms than ability – by the Cubs, and they traded the right-hander in the deal for Jose Quintana. After a mediocre first two years with the Pale Hose, the right-hander led all of baseball with a strikeout rate of 12.3 per nine innings in 2021 with a serviceable ERA of 3.91, but he really stepped up starting in 2022. He finished second in Cy Young voting with a 2.20 ERA, a 227/78 K/BB ratio and a 1.10 WHIP, and well Although he disappointed in 2023 with a 4.55 ERA, he was still highly sought after on the market and was dealt to the Padres.
Cease finished fourth in Cy Young voting in his first season with San Diego, but his final year in Gaslamp was a bit of a mixed bag. He struck out 215 batters in his 168 innings while leading baseball in SO/9 for the second time, but that came with a 4.55 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.
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For his career, Cease has a record of 65-58, a 3.88 ERA and 1,231 strikeouts against 430 walks in 188 starts and 1,015 1/3 frames.
What does Cease do best?
As you can probably guess, miss the bats. Cease has only had one season where he didn’t strike out more than one batter per inning, and that came during the truncated 2020 campaign. His average fastball velocity of 97 mph was the best of his career at age 29, and there’s no indication he won’t be able to throw his heater in that mid-to-high 90s range for the next couple of years at least.
But the reason Cease is consistently among the leaders in strikeouts is his secondary, and particularly his slider. In 2024, it was one of the best pitches in baseball with a run value of 25, and hitters swung and missed 44.1% of the time while hitting just .159 against the offer. It wasn’t as dominant in 2025, but it still generated a still-impressive 44.2% whiff rate, even though hitters saw their average climb up to .228 compared to it. Cease will also offer a hinge curve, sweep and changeup to hitters, but it’s the devastating late break of the slider that gives hitters bad feelings.
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Although Cease hasn’t racked up the innings, he’s also been one of the most durable starters since joining baseball. The 2025 campaign was the fifth straight in which he made at least 30 starts, and he has pitched at least 165 innings every season since 2021.
In short, Cease is a pitcher who will get the ball every five days, and he will thus accumulate punchouts.
What has Cease dealt with in the past?
As noted above, although Cease was able to move up the mound consistently, he never reached 200 innings nor did he crack the top five among starters in the class. The reason for this is quite simple: stopping was never effective and walks were a problem. He has delivered 71 in 2025, and this is the third time in four years that he has walked at least 70 batters. This self-inflicted damage can inflict any pitcher, even with elite punch-out ability, and Cease has been no exception, as the ERA totals mentioned earlier show.
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And unfortunately, these command issues didn’t just result in free passes. Cease had a less-than-desirable barrel rate of 9.8 percent in 2025, which ranks in the bottom 20th percentile of qualified starters. He never allowed more than 21 homers, but those back-and-forths add up when there are an extra batter or two on base because of walks.
When Cease is at or even close to his best, it’s usually a good time. But fantasy managers who have recruited him over the past few years know that there is some chatter, and he’s the kind of pitcher you have to take with the best.
How does Cease fit in with the Blue Jays?
Fine, but let’s be honest, that would be true if we were talking about any team outside of maybe the Rockies. Cease will join a rotation that already includes Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage and José Berríos; assuming Berríos is ready for the start of the season after missing the end of the year with an elbow injury. While he may not be an Opening Day starter, it seems likely that Cease will be near the top of this rotation, and he will be supported by the team that narrowly missed winning a World Series title last year. There should be plenty of chances for Cease to win in 2026.
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Does this help or hurt Cease’s fantasy value for 2026?
It would be hard to think that this isn’t a good solution from a fantasy perspective. Even if the Blue Jays are unable to bring back Bo Bichette, this is still one of the most talented teams in baseball, and it’s likely that Toronto is still adding to whether they will bring Bichette back or not. This has been a solid pitcher’s park since the dimensions were changed, and while it’s very likely that Cease will have a few starts that will make you scratch your head/pull your hair/both; the overall experience is generally pleasant. He should be a top starter in 2026, as the upside and ability to miss bats with the best of them is well worth an occasional outing.
