The Toronto Blue Jays sent massive shockwaves through the baseball free agent market on Wednesday afternoon, signing right-hander Dylan Cease to a seven-year deal worth $210 million. 

And with that move, they rounded out their starting rotation for the 2026 season, so let's take a look.

Kevin Gausman

Now 34 years old, Gausman is a 13-year veteran of the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and Blue Jays. He's gone 112-113 for his career but owns a 48-41 record with Toronto over four years. He's got a 3.48 ERA in that time and has tossed at least 174.2 innings in each of those seasons.

He's a two-time All-Star who is coming off a 10-11 season with a 3.59 ERA. He'll be a free agent after 2026.

Shane Bieber

Now 30 years old, Bieber exercised his player option to return to Toronto in 2026. An eight-year veteran of the Cleveland Guardians and Blue Jays, he's gone 66-34 lifetime with a 3.24 ERA. He's coming off a 4-2 year with the Jays that saw him make only seven regular season starts because of his recovery from a 2024 Tommy John surgery. He pitched reasonably well in the playoffs, helping the Blue Jays win Game 7 of the ALCS against the Seattle Mariners.

He's a two-time All-Star and a former Cy Young winner (2020).

Trey Yesavage

A first-round pick of the Jays in 2024, he is still the No. 1-ranked prospect in the organization. He made his debut in September, going 1-0 in three regular season appearances with a 3.21 ERA. He then pitched excellently in the playoffs, posting a 0.00 ERA in the ALDS and a 2.84 in three World Series outings (two starts).

Yesavage had never thrown more than 93.1 innings in any season until 2025 when he threw 139.2 cumulative innings. Given the major bump in workload and his importance to the organization moving forward, they may want to be careful with him at some point in 2026.

Jose Berrios

Now 31 years old, Berrios is under contract through 2028. A 10-year veteran of the Minnesota Twins and Blue Jays, he's 108-82 for his career with a 4.08 ERA. A two-time All-Star, he went 9-5 this season with a 4.17 ERA, missing time at the end of the season with an elbow injury. He did not pitch in the playoffs.

Dylan Cease

A strikeout machine, Cease is set to turn 30 years old in December. A seven-year veteran of the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres, he's 65-58 for his career with a 3.88 ERA. Incredibly durable, he's made 32 starts or more in each of the last five seasons. He certainly has issues with command, but the swing-and-miss stuff is as good as anyone in the league.

Per Sportsnet Stats on social media:

Highest strikeouts per 9 innings since 2021 (minimum 650 IP)

Dylan Cease: 11.26

Freddy Peralta: 10.91

Gerrit Cole: 10.77

Carlos Rodon: 10.67

Tarik Skubal: 10.44

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