Free agent pitcher Dylan Keys and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a seven-year, $210 million contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced.
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Keys will join a stunning rotation for the defending American League champions. The right-hander, who turns 30 next month, went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts last season for the San Diego Padres. He struck out 215 batters and walked 71 in 168 innings.
Keys spent his first five years with the Chicago White Sox, including a 2022 season in which he went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA despite leading the majors in walks. He came second in voting for the A.L. Award. Cy Young.
After another year in Chicago, he was traded to San Diego in March 2024 and that season went 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA, pitching a no-hitter and finishing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting.
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His numbers on the mound declined this year, but he still reached 32 starts for the fifth straight season.
Keyes also had five straight years with at least 214 strikeouts, which helps offset his propensity for walks.
Cease has been one of the top pitchers on the free agent market this offseason. He's set to join the Blue Jays, who won the AL East this year and reached Game 7 of a thrilling World Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-4, in 11 innings.
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Toronto's rotation already includes Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios. Chris Bassitt and 41-year-old Max Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who started Game 7 of the World Series, became free agents this month.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound stopper is 65-58 with a 3.88 ERA and 1,231 strikeouts in 188 starts over seven major league seasons.
He was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the sixth round of the 2014 amateur draft out of Milton High School in Georgia. They traded him across town to the White Sox in July 2017 as part of a package that included left-hander Jose Quintana.
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Keys rejected a $22,025,000 qualifying offer from the Padres this month, so they will receive draft pick compensation if he completes a deal with Toronto.
Because the Blue Jays will be paying the luxury tax this year, they will lose their second- and fifth-best players in next July's amateur draft, and their 2026 international signing bonus pool will be cut by $1 million.
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AP Baseball writers Noah Treaster and Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Ronald Blum, Associated Press
