The Blue Jays biggest offseason acquisition has come through despite the team's poor start
The Toronto Blue Jays' starting rotation has been mired with injuries this season.
Right-handed pitchers Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios all went down during spring training. Yesavage, the organization's top prospect (per MLB Pipeline) is currently on a rehab assignment with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.
Free agent acquisition and 2025 Korean Baseball Organization MVP Cody Ponce will also be out, potentially for the entire season, after undergoing surgery for an ACL sprain he suffered in a game against the Colorado Rockies on March 30.
One starting pitcher who has been healthy so far this year for the Blue Jays has beenseason acquisition, right-handed start their biggest offseason, right-handed starter Dylan Cease.
Toronto signed Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract after a two-year stint with the San Diego Padres.
Cease made his third start of the season in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.
Not only did the Blue Jays win that contest by a score of 4-3 and snap a six-game losing streak in the process, Cease carved out a part of franchise history in the process.
Cease fanned eight batters, walked four, hit a batter and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits in five innings pitched against the Dodgers.
For the season, Cease has a 2.45 ERA and has fanned 26 batters in 14.2 innings pitched.
According to a post on "X" from StatsCentre (@StatsCentre), Cease's 26 strikeouts is the most through their first three appearances with Toronto in franchise history.
That number surpasses five-star All-Star and one-time Cy Young winner David Price, who was acquired by Toronto in a trade with the Detroit Tigers on July 30, 2015.
Cease signed with the Blue Jays being regarded as having some of the best underlying strikeout stuff in baseball.
With the Padres in 2025, Cease had a whiff rate of 43% and a strikeout rate of 40.9%, which ranked in the 96th and 97th percentile of baseball, respectively, according to Baseball Savant.
Cease's high strikeout numbers didn't translate to a low ERA (4.55), but his expected ERA (xERA) of 2.70 ranked in the 77th percentile of baseball, per Baseball Savant.
Due to the contract signed by Cease, there was already pressure on him to perform. Now with the injuries to the starting rotation and a fractured thumb suffered by catcher Alejandro Kirk, it's even more important for Cease to live up to those expectations.
The season is still young. But, so far, Cease is pitching up to the level of his contract.
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