NEW YORK (AP) — Dylan Cease will wait until 2046 to receive the final payment from his $210 million, seven-year contract with the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays, which includes $64 million in deferred salaries.
A right-hander who turns 30 on Dec. 28, Cease gets a $23 million signing bonus payable on Jan. 15, according to contract terms obtained by The Associated Press.
Under the deal announced Tuesday, he receives salaries of $22 million next year, $30 million in 2027, $29 million in 2029, $28 million in 2029, $27 million in 2030, $26 million in 2031 and $25 million in 2032.
Toronto’s deferred payments are due each Nov. 1 from 2033-46, with $10 million deferred from next year’s salary and $9 million annually for the remainder of the contract. Cease gets $5 million payments in 2033 and ’34 and $4.5 million each year from 2035-46.
He has a limited no-trade provision allowing him to block being sent without his consent to eight teams.
Deferred money in contracts this offseason will be discounted by 3.87% for luxury tax payrolls, up from 3.7% last offseason, and by 8% for MLB’s regular payroll calculations, down from 9% for the 2024-25 offseason. The players’ association has used a 5% discount rate for its figures.
Cease went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts this year for San Diego, striking out 215 and walking 71 in 168 innings. Cease spent his first five years with the Chicago White Sox, going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA in 2022 despite leading the major leagues in walks. He finished second in AL Cy Young Award balloting.
He was traded to the Padres in March 2024 and went 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA that season, pitching a no-hitter and finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting. Cease is 65-58 with a 3.88 ERA and 1,231 strikeouts in 188 starts over seven big league seasons.
Toronto won the AL East this year for the first time since 2015 and came within two outs of its first World Series title since 1993, losing Game 7 to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 in 11 innings.
Cease joins a top-notch rotation projected to include Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and José Berríos.
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