Cease, who turns 30 next month, has pitched seven MLB seasons - five with the Chicago White Sox and the past two seasons with the San Diego Padres. Originally a 6th round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2014, he was sent to the crosstown Chisox in the middle of the 2017 season along with outfielder Eloy Jimenez in exchange for pitcher Jose Quintana.
His MLB debut came during the 2019 season. Cease's best overall season came in 2022 when he went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA striking out 227 batters against 78 walks over 184 innings pitched. Although Cease's 78 walks led the AL, he pitched well enough to finish runner up in AL Cy Young balloting to then Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander that season.
The White Sox sent Cease to San Diego prior to the 2024 season as part of their fire sale which presaged their modern MLB record of 121 losses. In his first season in San Diego, Cease went 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA striking out 224 batters against 65 walks in 189.1 innings pitched finishing fourth in NL Cy Young balloting.
Cease did take a step back in 2025 going 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA. However, his strikeout total remained solid with 215 Ks in 168 innings pitched against 71 walks. Like Sonny Gray who was acquired yesterday by the Boston Red Sox, Cease is very durable and should help bolster an already strong starting rotation. At the very minimum, he can be counted on to start 30 plus games as he has done for the past five seasons.
This is a sound investment by the Toronto Blue Jays.
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