Sports
Sources: Jays, Cease reach 7-year, $210M deal
Free agent starting pitcher Dylan Cease, who has made at least 32 starts in each of the past five seasons, reached a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Wednesday.
With the deal, which is pending a physical, the Blue Jays add to an already formidable team that won the American League pennant and advanced to the World Series, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
Cease, who turns 30 next month, has been a reliable front-line starter for the past five seasons, ranking fourth in that span in pitcher WAR, ahead of Tarik Skubal, Max Fried and Framber Valdez.
The right-hander has alternated between dominant seasons and, given the quality of his stuff, disappointing ones. In 2022 and 2024, Cease finished second and fourth in Cy Young voting, respectively, while going 28-19 with a 2.84 ERA. In 2023 and 2025, he went 15-21 with a 4.57 ERA.
Cease has vertically oriented movement because of his higher slot, a fastball/breaking ball-heavy power approach (at least 80% fastball/slider to both right-handed and left-handed batters) and an elevated walk rate at times paired with a big whiff rate.
His slider in particular fell off this past season, going from the game’s most valuable by runs above average in 2024 to opposing hitters slugging .374 against it in 2025. Still, though, Cease is coming off posting a career-best strikeout rate of 29.8% and putting up a fielding independent pitching score of 3.56, a slight improvement when compared with his average from 2021 to 2024.
Those peripherals, when coupled with his age and the deficiencies of the other available starters, made him one of the most attractive pitchers in free agency.
Cease was tendered a $22.025 million qualifying offer by the Padres, which he declined by the Nov. 18 deadline. Because he signed with a new team, San Diego will receive a compensatory draft pick after the fourth round.
A sixth-round pick from the Chicago Cubs out of Georgia in 2014, Cease originally went to the neighboring Chicago White Sox alongside Eloy Jimenez in a 2017 trade headlined by Jose Quintana, then was acquired by the San Diego Padres for a package of prospects in March 2024.
In five years as a full-time starter from 2021 to 2025, Cease led the majors in strikeouts (1,106) but also in walks (361) and wild pitches (51).
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and Kiley McDaniel contributed to this report.
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Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Dominiq Ponder died this weekend, the team’s head coach Deion Sanders confirmed on Sunday with a social media post.
“God please comfort the Ponder family, friends and loved ones,” Sanders wrote on social media. “Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader. Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord you’re receiving a good 1. Comfort us Lord Comfort us.”
Ponder was 23 years old.
Details of Ponder’s death are not yet known.
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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)
Ponder, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound signal caller, joined the Buffaloes and “Coach Prime’s” program in 2024 after spending time at Bethune-Cookman before making his way to Boulder.
Last season, Ponder played just two games for the Buffaloes while serving in his backup role. He recorded two rush attempts and one pass attempt.
The Opa Locka, Fla., native also received tribute from a fellow quarterback with the Buffaloes, Colton Allen.
Bethune-Cookman QB Dominiq Ponder takes a snap during the Wildcats’ spring game Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Daytona Stadium. (IMAGN)
“Dom, you were a blessing to so many people,” Allen wrote on Instagram. “You had a presence about you that just made everything better. You brought so much joy to me and everyone around you. I’m grateful for every lift, every practice, every rep, every conversation we got to share. I’ll carry those with me for the rest of my life.”
Ponder was going to be a part of Colorado’s spring practices, which are set to begin on Monday. It’s unknown if Sanders will postpone the start due to Ponder’s passing.
Ponder also received a tribute from the University of Central Florida.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his players warm up before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (Tyler Tate/AP Photo)
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“Our prayers are with Dominiq and the Ponder family along with all in the Colorado football program,” the university’s football account on X wrote.
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With spring training camps underway, it is time to look at the state of baseball. As part of our 2026 MLB season preview, ESPN’s Buster Olney surveyed those around the industry to help him rank the top 10 players at every position.
The objective of this exercise is to identify the best players for the 2026 season, not who might be best in five years or over their career. Who will be the best pitchers to take the mound this season? Who are the game’s most powerful hitters in 2026? And how do marquee positions like shortstop and center field shake out?
We rolled out a position per day over two weeks: starting pitchers, relievers, catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen, shortstops, corner outfielders, center fielders and designated hitters.
Who are the best players today? Check out who makes the list at every position.
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The question seems simple: Who is the best starting pitcher in MLB, Tarik Skubal or Paul Skenes? But this was a debate that confounded evaluators more than any other. See our top 10 »
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This year’s second basemen include accomplished veterans, young stars and players still new to the position. Here are the best of the best. See our top 10 »
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The hot corner boasts stars like Jose Ramirez, Alex Bregman, Manny Machado, Bo Bichette, Carlos Correa and more. Where do they all land among the top 10 at the position? See our top 10 »
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The shortstop position is full of big-name stars: Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Geraldo Perdomo, Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager and Mookie Betts, to name a few. But which one earned the top spot at the premier infield position? See our top 10 »
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The outfield corners are loaded with future Hall of Famers, fast-rising young players and two sluggers who share a city. See our top 10 »
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