1. Blue Jays land Dylan Cease:
The reigning AL champions signed the most expensive free agent in team history yesterday after reports indicated Toronto had signed Dylan Cease to a seven-year contract worth $210 million. The contract will be finalized once Cease passes a physical clearance, and while it’s only a matter of time before we get the official announcement, it’s possible things could be pushed back a few days simply because of the Thanksgiving weekend. As it stands now, the Jays appear to have completed their rotation signing quite early in the offseason, between the Cease signing and Shane Bieber’s surprising decision to exercise his player option to remain in Toronto through the 2026 season. With the pitching mix potentially already settled, the Blue Jays can now turn their attention to re-signing Bo Bichette or adding another big bat to their lineup. For the rest of the league, Cease’s decision removes an arm from the top level of the board, so teams in need of pitching will have to turn their attention to other starters in free agency or on the trade market.
2. Rockies reintroduce Warren Schaeffer:
After serving as Colorado’s interim manager for most of the 2025 season, Warren Schaeffer was named the club’s new full-time skipper. There wasn’t much news about the Rockies’ executive search because it essentially fell through, as president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta explained at a news conference yesterday. DePodesta said Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post and other reporters that he was informally looking at some other candidates, but “Ultimately, I didn’t feel the need to interview anyone else,” as “I would say, even a week later… it became pretty clear to me [Schaeffer] was a good direction to go.” This won’t exactly assuage Rockies fears that the team will still operate in an insular manner even though DePodestra is a brand new face as the new head of the front office. Still, Schaeffer received praise for the way he handled a tough situation last season, and his 36-86 record is clearly much more a reflection of Colorado’s dismal roster than Schaeffer’s work in his first season as a big league manager.
3. The Anthony Rendon era is nearing an end in Anaheim:
Anthony Rendon’s MLB career could be officially over after 12 seasons, as the oft-injured third baseman is reportedly discussing a buyout plan with the Angels heading into the final year of his contract. Presumably the $38 million owed to Rendon in 2026 would instead be deferred over several years, giving the Angels some more short-term spending options. Rendon’s seven-year, $245 million deal, signed in December 2019, will go down as a complete failure, as Rendon ultimately played in just 257 games during the contract extension due to a wide variety of injuries, including hip surgery that cost him the entire 2025 season.
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