The Blue Jays already made their big splash with Dylan Cease, and the move paid off right away. After Toronto gave him a seven-year, $210 million deal last offseason - the biggest free-agent contract in franchise history - Cease delivered a season that put him in the American League Cy Young conversation. He finished as a finalist, and he piled up career highs in strikeouts with 239, opposing batting average at .180, and earned runs allowed with 45.
With Cease in place, Toronto could still be looking for another front-line arm to join him. The club already has Jose Soriano and Trey Yesavage in the mix, but this free-agent market offers some appealing options. Here are the three best fits next to Cease, with Tarik Skubal left out because he would be the best fit for any rotation.
A left-handed starter would be especially attractive for Toronto, which makes Ranger Rogers a natural name to watch. Baltimore gave him a qualifying offer, so he could always return there on a one-year deal worth as much as $23.15 million.
Still, that doesn’t mean he’ll be off the board. Only 18 of the 157 players who have received a qualifying offer have accepted it.
Rogers put together a solid season, finishing with a 4.03 ERA in 30 starts. He also led Baltimore in ERA, wins with 10, strikeouts with 157, WHIP at 1.18, and batting average at .249.
His value comes from the way he works the zone without giving away free passes, and he does a good job getting hitters to chase. That profile makes him a strong fit for a Blue Jays staff that could use exactly that kind of arm.
Sonny Gray belongs near the top of this conversation because he keeps doing what good starters do: he shows up and gets outs. He’s been one of the most reliable pitchers of the last 10 years, and even with his 37th birthday coming in November, there’s no sign he’s fading. Last season, he posted a career-best 2.72 ERA across 29 starts.
Gray’s six-pitch mix helps him stay a step ahead of hitters, and Baseball Savant showed just how effective his sweeper was. That pitch held opponents to a .137 batting average and generated 75 strikeouts.
Toronto needs durability in its rotation, and Gray checks that box. He’d be a major addition and would immediately slot in as the Blue Jays’ second-best starter.
Then there’s Michael King, who took on a full-time starting role in 2024 and looked the part. He turned in a 3.21 ERA over 32 starts, and his work in October pushed his stock even higher.
In three postseason appearances, he gave up five hits and one earned run. During the Wild Card round against the Chicago Cubs, he logged seven scoreless innings and struck out eight.
King is going to draw plenty of attention this winter, but Toronto has already shown it’s willing to spend big on pitching. If the Blue Jays want another major upgrade for the rotation, King is one of the best arms available. Paired with Cease, he’d give Toronto a duo that would be hard to match.
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Blue Jays Could Face A Tough New Roster Decision Soon
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For the Blue Jays, the practical concern is simple: a change like this could move some decisions up by a year and make the front office think differently about who to keep, who to extend and who might be more valuable as a trade chip. Toronto has spent the winter and early spring trying to balance present contention with future flexibility, and any tweak to service-time rules would add another layer to that calculation. [Read more 🡒]