Blue Jays swiftly take Dylan Cease off the market in eye-opening reminder for Cubs

The impression this offseason has been that the Chicago Cubs were ready to spend beyond their comfort zone to address their need for a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, and the Toronto Blue Jays just provided them with a harsh reality check. The Blue Jays have inked Dylan Cease to a seven-year deal worth $210 million.

Entering the offseason, there was a debate about whether any of the top three starting pitchers on the free-agent market would land a deal north of $200 million, and if so, most of the guesses were that it would be Framber Valdez. Considering Cease was coming off a down year with the San Diego Padres, it's surprising that he was not only the first starter to sign, but also exceeded the $200 million threshold.

Cubs lose out on Dylan Cease in eye-opening signing by the Toronto Blue Jays.

There is going to be natural frustration from Cubs fans that Cease's signing could be another example of the front office not putting their money where their mouth is. That said, Cease's contract with the Blue Jays wildly exceeded the original projections when the offseason started.

In the history of the Cubs' organization, they have yet to sign a player to a contract worth $200 million or more. If they were going to break that trend this offseason, it certainly wasn't going to be for a starting pitcher, let alone someone who hasn't quite lived up to the ace expectation in recent seasons.

The guess is that Cease's deal will likely push the Cubs out of the market for Framber Valdez. Valdez was never viewed as the best option for the Cubs, given his age, but most evaluators had him as the top pitcher on the market. Assuming he is now looking for more than what Cease got from the Blue Jays, Chicago almost certainly won't be involved in his bidding.

Perhaps this does push the Cubs closer to Michael King. With King's injury history, he could be priced within the North Sider's comfort zone.

Overall, Cease's deal solidifies the Cubs' preference to trade for a cost-controlled starting pitcher. There are several options on the trade market, and someone like Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins could be who Jed Hoyer and Co. turn to.