About the Off-Season: Cease Fire Alarm

About the Off-Season: Cease Fire Alarm

By Tim Kabel

November 29, 2025

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On Wednesday, while Brian Cashman was baking a pumpkin pie and Hal Steinbrenner was brining his turkey, the Toronto Blue Jays made a major move. They signed front-line starting pitcher Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract. The Blue Jays were already superior to the Yankees, because they won the division in 2025 and then beat the Yankees convincingly in the in the ALDS.

Now, the Blue Jays went out and signed one of the top available pitchers for their rotation. They did this while the Yankees were celebrating Thanksgiving. The Blue Jays, being from Canada, celebrated Thanksgiving in October. The Blue Jays are ahead of the Yankees in everything, even Thanksgiving. They signed Dylan Cease. The Yankees didn't.

If that wasn't bad enough, the Red Sox traded for Sonny Gray. The Sonny will come out tomorrow, but it won't be for the Yankees, Little Orphan Annie. Sound the alarm. Ring the bells. Throw open the windows, stick out your head and scream. Or don't.

Let's think about this for a minute. The Yankees basically made their Dylan Cease type move last year when they signed Max Fried. Max Fried was supposed to be paired with Gerrit Cole, who became injured and required season-ending Tommy John surgery. Cole will be back this season. He might not be ready at the beginning of the season, but all indications are that he will be back and able to pitch shortly thereafter. Whether he will be as effective as he was in the past is unknown. Carlos Rodon will miss a few starts as he recovers from off-season surgery. Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Luis Gil, and Max Fried will be there from the beginning of the season, barring injury, of course. Clarke Schmidt is expected to join the team at some point during the season.

There are some ifs in the above scenario. Cole, Rodon, and Schmidt have uncertain timetables for their returns. The one about whom Yankees fans should feel most comfortable is Rodon, as his surgery was not as invasive, and he is due back much more quickly than the other two. It is reported that the Yankees are looking to add a starting pitcher. They did bring Ryan Yarbrough back as insurance and to fill a shifting role between the rotation and the bullpen. That made tremendous sense. However, the expectation is that the Yankees will add someone more dominant.

Here's the main point for anyone who is about to panic. It is doubtful, in fact extremely doubtful, that the Yankees had any actual interest in signing Dylan Cease. It would have been a tremendous move. But it would have been a move that was probably unnecessary considering the other needs and relative strengths of the Yankees. Dylan Cease would have cost the Yankees at least the same amount that he cost the Blue Jays. That is money that the Yankees can better spend elsewhere. The key is that they must actually spend it. As far as Sonny Gray goes, the Yankees tried that once already. There were more gray skies than sunny ones when he pitched here. Sonny Gray was about as successful for the Yankees as Sonny Corleone was driving through the toll booth. It is entirely possible that playing in a big-market, high-pressure market like Boston might not agree with good old Sonny.

The Yankee certainly need to add a starting pitcher. It just didn't have to be Dylan Cease. They are reportedly targeting Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai, who made waves by saying he would prefer to beat the Dodgers than play for them. Sign him today.

Signing Dylan Cease and trading for Sonny Gray were moves made by the Blue Jays and Red Sox respectively. Neither one of those was a move the Yankees were planning to make. Neither one of them was a move the Yankee should have made. The Yankees need to make moves, just not those moves. If the Yankees sign Imai and Bellinger in the next couple of weeks, the moves made by the Blue Jays and Red Sox won't strike as much fear in the heart of Yankees fans. If the Yankees do nothing, then we can panic. I have my smelling salts in my pocket just in case. But there's no need to get upset over moves that would not have been good fits for the Yankees. The Yankees need to upgrade the offense. Improving at shortstop and third base would be very desirable.

What if the Yankees sign Imai and Bellinger and then turn around and sign Bo Bichette? Then which team would have the upper hand? The process of developing the roster is developing. There's no need to panic yet. The Yankees and the Blue Jays will celebrate Christmas on the same day so there will be no advantage on that holiday. Let's see what happens. As long as the Yankees make the correct moves, the Blue Jays acquiring Dylan Cease and the Red Sox acquiring Sonny Gray should not be too much for the Yankees to worry about. Yankees fans need to not let those two moves cease their sunny dispositions.