Reports: Dylan Cease signing with Blue Jays, Padres to net draft pick

Jeff Sanders, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Nov 26, 2025

Published in Baseball

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SAN DIEGO — Dylan Cease’s so-so walk year doesn’t appear to have cost him in free agency.

The 30-year-old right-hander is joining the Toronto Blue Jays via a seven-year, $210 million deal, according to multiple reports. Cease rejected a qualifying offer from the San Diego Padres last week, so his departure will net the Padres a July draft selection after the end of the fourth round.

The Padres, a competitive balance tax payor, will get a second draft pick after the fourth round if Michael King also signs with a new team. King also rejected the $22.05 million qualifying offer from the Padres last week, requiring draft pick compensation for signing with a new team as a free agent.

Cease’s deal is the largest free-agent contract ever given out by the Blue Jays, surpassing George Springer’s six-year, $150 million deal. The defending AL champions gave Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a $500 million extension in April.

Cease, 29, finished the 2025 season with a 4.55 ERA, the third highest of his career. He also led the majors with 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings, topped 200 strikeouts for a fifth straight season. Cease leads the majors with 1,106 strikeouts since the start of the 2021 season.

Cease finished second in AL Cy Young voting in 2022 with the Chicago White Sox and fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2024, after the Padres acquired him for prospects Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte and Samuel Zavala and reliever Steven Wilson.

Cease posted a 3.47 ERA over 33 starts last year with the Padres before inconsistency led to a 4.55 ERA this year. He started the Padres’ lone postseason win this year, striking out five over 3 2/3 shutout innings against the Cubs in the NL wild-card Series before handing the ball over to the bullpen.

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