Toronto Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease got good news in the American League Cy Young Award race, as he has been named a finalist for the honor.
Cease just finished his first season with the Blue Jays after signing a seven-year, $210 million free-agent deal with the team last offseason. He was incredible for Toronto, and his excellent season now has him as a finalist for one of baseball’s top honors.
Dylan Cease Named AL Cy Young Award Finalist
MLB announced the award finalists on Monday night for all of its major honors, and Cease was named one of three AL Cy Young Award finalists, along with Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees and Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians.
“Your 2026 @officialBBWAA AL Cy Young Award finalists: Dylan Cease, Blue Jays Parker Messick, Guardians Cam Schlittler, Yankees.”
Dylan Cease, Blue Jays Parker Messick, Guardians Cam Schlittler, Yankees
Will Dylan Cease Win the AL Cy Young Award?
Although Cease had an amazing season for the Blue Jays, he is likely going to finish as the runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award to Schlittler, who appears to be the frontrunner to capture the year-end honor.
Cease was 11-6 with a 2.40 ERA in 29 games pitched for Toronto while also racking up 5.5 bWAR for the team. He pitched 169 IP with 239 strikeouts. He led the league in FIP, H9, HR9, and SO9.
However, Schlittler was 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA while racking up 7.0 bWAR in 33 starts. He pitched 193.2 IP with 239 strikeouts while leading the league in ERA, ERA+, and bWAR.
Messick, meanwhile, will likely be third in the race, as while he had a really strong year for Cleveland, Schlittler and Cease were better.
Cease was arguably the frontrunner to win the AL Cy Young Award at certain points during the season, but after getting injured late in the season and having a couple of rough starts, Schlittler leapfrogged him in the race.
Even if Cease ultimately comes in second place, it was still an incredible first season for him in Toronto, and the team should be thrilled about what an incredible performance they got from him in his first year after signing as a free agent.
Dylan Cease Gets Good News In American League Cy Young Race