New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is looking to make an off-season splash. Their newly prominent division rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays, have done that recently. The Yankees may have dodged that bullet when Toronto signed Dylan Cease.
The Yankees need a super-star signing this offseason to bring momentum and excitement back to the Bronx. Not that it was lost, but the early postseason exit really did take an emotional hit on the team and city.
It is now up to the Yankees front office to go shopping and bring in a key player. The team is expected to keep an eye out for a top-tier starting pitcher. This may be questionable due to the options they currently have on staff.
Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, Max Fried, and Clarke Schmidt are all options on the rotational end. Some of these guys already have a spot in next year’s rotation, while others could be trade pieces.
That being said, the free agent market is not the hottest for starting pitching. Cease was one of, if not the top pitching option on the market. The Blue Jays took any hope away from the Yankees, locking up Cease long-term. Toronto signed Cease for a booming seven-year, $210 million contract. This adds to their already stacked pitching rotation. However, the Cease signing should not bother the Yankees one bit. If anything, they should be happy that they did not invest in the 29-year-old righty.
.@jonmorosi compares the Blue Jays’ reported signing of Dylan Cease to when the club signed Kevin Gausman back in 2021 ?
Thoughts on the comparison? pic.twitter.com/zNx9EJMWNg
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 1, 2025
Yankees Dodged a Bullet by Missing Out on Dylan Cease
The right-handed starter is another one of Toronto’s “roulette” picks in signings and acquisitions. The Blue Jays signed Chad Green when he completed Tommy John surgery, and took a chance on his return being up to par.
Green did eventually work out for them. Last summer, the Blue Jays traded for Shane Bieber after he hadn’t pitched all year. This also worked out for them. The difference between those options as opposed to Cease is the proven numbers.
Bieber and Green were a roll of the dice since they didn’t have a recent sample size for Toronto to predict their performance. But Cease’s recent numbers are enough to argue that the Yankees’ signing him is not justified. The pitcher’s inconsistencies are quite concerning.
His command and ability to throw strikes are questionable, Cease has put up 200-plus strikeouts each year for the past five seasons. While impressive, there’s also his high walk rate to take into consideration.
His walk rate increased 1.3% from 2024 to 2025. In 2022, he led the league in walks with 78. Cease has improved that number a bit, but his overall command is still concerning.
In 2023, he led the league in wild pitches, at 14, while recording the same numbers in 2021. This is an interesting statistic to have; very unorthodox. His ERA increased from 3.47 in 2024 to 4.55 in 2025.
Cease finished 2025 with an 8-12 record for the San Diego Padres, which may have been affected by the actual team performance. Overall, Cease may not have offered anything out of the ordinary to the Yankees.
The Current Options are Better
To add an arm with the caliber of Cease, the Yankees may need to consider putting other options on the back burner. Fried, Cole, Gil, and Rodón are absolutes in the rotation.
Cam Schlittler may be the most viable option for the sixth man spot. He would definitely not be a piece to trade. Clarke Schmidt, on the other hand, may be a movable piece.
Schmidt does not fit into the rotation, and if he did, his ERA of 3.32 would justify him keeping that spot. This would be a more feasible option versus overpaying Cease around $200 million-plus.
Main Photo Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
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