Blue Jays’ Dylan Cease predicted to be worth every bit of massive contract Toronto handed out

The Toronto Blue Jays made one of the more impressive pitching signings of the offseason when they landed Dylan Cease on a massive long-term contract. 

Now, some believe the veteran right-hander will immediately deliver just as he should in Toronto.

Jeff Passan of ESPN recently made a bold prediction regarding Cease’s first season with the Blue Jays, suggesting the right-hander will find himself among the top arms in the American League.

Cease has been elite throughout his career, but struggled last season. His fastball and elite slider have made him one of the better strikeout pitchers in baseball. However, his consistency has been in question recently.

With the organization’s pitching infrastructure and coaching staff working alongside Cease, the former San Diego Padre should take another step forward.

Passan believes the combination of Cease’s talent and Toronto’s pitching lab could lead to a great season.

“Dylan Cease finishes second in AL Cy Young voting. Fresh off a seven-year, $210 million free agent windfall, Cease joins a Blue Jays pitching machine that delights in taking raw stuff and molding it into something more. Cease always has been a stuff guy, and with a little bit of polish, his strikeout artistry has the potential to morph into something more. You don't find many 30-year-olds with ceiling left. Cease has finished second for the Cy Young once before and is primed to do it again,” he wrote.

For Toronto, that type of performance would be exactly what the team hoped for when it made its blockbuster deal.

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