Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease makes first All-Star team in down season
The right-hander posted an 11-6 record with a 2.40 ERA in 29 starts for Toronto.
TORONTO · Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease was named to his first MLB All-Star Game in 2026, a bright spot in a season where the team finished last in the American League East. Cease posted an 11-6 record with a 2.40 earned run average across 29 starts for the Blue Jays. The right-hander, who will turn 31 before the 2027 season, is set to make $21 million next year. He also has a large amount of deferred payments, including from the 2027 season.
Cease joined the Blue Jays in November 2025 on a seven-year, $210 million contract. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported at the time that "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 deal came after the Blue Jays reached Game 7 of the World Series in 2025. The 2026 season was a disappointment for the club, which missed the playoffs and finished with a 79-83 record. Garbutt Disposal reported in October that the Blue Jays were eliminated from playoff contention a year after coming within 90 feet of a championship. The team has not won a World Series title since 1993.
Cease was originally a sixth-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 2014 MLB draft out of high school. He spent the first five years of his major league career with the Chicago White Sox. In March 2024, the White Sox traded Cease to the San Diego Padres for a package of four players, including pitchers Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte. He pitched for two seasons in San Diego before entering free agency and signing with Toronto. So far, Cease has been a very big addition to the Blue Jays rotation.