When news broke of Dylan Cease signing with the Toronto Blue Jays, there was a good amount of shock: seven years and $210 million far outpaced what most anticipated the workhorse right-hander to land in free agency.
It was especially relevant to the Chicago Cubs, a team in desperate need of a top-of-the-rotation arm. If Cease pulled in $210 million, what would that mean for Tatsuya Imai's market? Framber Valdez? It seemed to have the potential of re-setting the starting pitching market this winter - and not in a way Jed Hoyer would find enjoyable.
But, now, we have the deferral details - and they paint things in a very different light.