Dylan Cease’s one-hit gem is latest proof Blue Jays nailed their biggest offseason move

Handing out bad free agent contracts is one of the quickest ways to derail your team, but that’s not what’s happened to the Toronto Blue Jays with Dylan Cease. 

Sunday’s incredible one-hit shutout against the Boston Red Sox was just the latest example that general manager Ross Atkins nailed the Cease signing. There is plenty of blame to go around for this disaster of a season, but it's neither of their faults.

Just how good has Dylan Cease been in 2026?

There were many questions when the Blue Jays inked Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal coming off a season in which he posted a 4.55 ERA with the San Diego Padres. 

Yet, the truth lay under the surface, where several advanced metrics suggested Cease was due for serious positive regression. He still possessed the electric stuff that led him to finish top-five in Cy Young voting on two separate occasions. That’s what the Blue Jays were paying for—and they’ve looked like geniuses for doing so far in 2026.

Cease whittled his ERA down to 2.46 after Sunday’s gem at Fenway Park. He leads the American League with 167 strikeouts despite missing two starts with a hamstring issue, while his 2.31 FIP and 6.0 hits-per-nine also top the Junior Circuit. 

Things are equally as impressive under the hood. Cease ranks in the 93rd percentile or better in xERA, expected batting average, average exit velocity, whiff percentage, and K-rate. He remains a strikeout artist, but has also added a new dimension to his game by inducing ground balls at an above-average rate for the first time in his career.

Cease has already been rewarded with a long-awaited All-Star appearance for his efforts this season, during which he became the first Blue Jay since Roy Halladay to start the game. Now, his sights are likely set on winning his first Cy Young Award in what is shaping up to be an epic race with New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler down the stretch. 

The right-hander’s importance to the organization moving forward cannot be overstated. He’s the most talented pitcher the Blue Jays have had since the late Halladay, and he could challenge teammate Kevin Gausman for the title of best free agent signing in team history. 

While yes, the back-end of Cease’s contract could get ugly—look at Gausman’s performance this season—but that’s just how these kinds of deals work. The front office that goes the extra year is usually the one that gets the player in free agency.

Also worth considering is how the other marquee free pitchers from Cease’s class have fared thus far. Framber Valdez has a 4.57 ERA for the Detroit Tigers. Ranger Suarez has been good for the Red Sox but missed time due to injury. Michael King’s strikeout ability has declined for the San Diego Padres. Cease has been the best of this bunch. 

The Blue Jays needed an ace coming off a run to the World Series in 2025, and that’s exactly what Cease has been for them. He’s been everything the organization could have hoped for when they signed him even as the team around him has crumbled. 

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