1 huge reason Dylan Cease signing with the Blue Jays is a haymaker for the Cubs

The Chicago Cubs were never going to go to seven years and $210 million for Dylan Cease. He outpaced MLB Trade Rumors' projection by more than $20 million, with the Toronto Blue Jays showing they're ready to leave no stone unturned in their quest to finish the job in 2026.

But the fact that the Jays included deferred money, something Jed Hoyer and the Cubs have, to this point, refused to do in free agent contracts, suggests the team is putting itself behind the eight-ball heading into a pivotal offseason.

Given where the Cubs' payroll sits even after Shota Imanaga accepted the qualifying offer, a $30 million addition is definitely doable - but with Cease re-setting the market with his signing, a revisiting of summer trade talks feels likelier than ever, allowing Chicago to avoid doling out that massive long-term deal and instead relying on their top-heavy prospect depth.

Cubs trade rumors are going to ramp up post-Dylan Cease signing

Expect more mentions of guys like Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera and MacKenzie Gore to pop up as Hoyer looks to land his long-needed anchor atop the rotation. Clearly, the recent trend of starting pitching growing more and more expensive in free agency isn't changing anytime soon - so teams like the Cubs who shy away from huge contracts could get very aggressive on the trade front in the coming weeks.

Keep in mind when we're talking about that caliber of pitcher, it's going to be multiple high-quality prospects going back in a deal. You don't get good players by trading bad ones (unless you turn on 'force trades' when playing MLB The Show). Too many fans are talking out of both sides of their mouths, banging on Hoyer for not yet landing an ace while also clinging desperately to prospects like they're the last drops of water in the middle of a desert.

This is a huge signing - and it's definitely going to shake up both the free agent and trade markets. Now, we wait and see how quickly Hoyer and his team can pivot to make sure they're not left holding their hats in their hands when the dust settles on the offseason.