Free agent beginning pitcher Dylan Stop, who has made a minimum of 32 begins in every of the previous 5 seasons, has reached a seven-year, $210 million take care of the Toronto Blue Jays, sources instructed ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Wednesday.
With the deal, which is pending a bodily, the Blue Jays add to an already formidable crew that received the American League pennant and superior to the World Collection, the place they misplaced to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deciding Recreation 7.
Stop, 29, has been a dependable front-line starter for the previous 5 seasons, rating fourth in that span in pitcher WAR, forward of Tarik Skubal, Max Fried and Framber Valdez.
The suitable-hander has alternated between dominant seasons and, given the standard of his stuff, disappointing ones. In 2022 and 2024, Stop completed second and fourth in Cy Younger voting, respectively, whereas going 28-19 with a 2.84 ERA. In 2023 and 2025, he went 15-21 with a 4.57 ERA.
Stop has vertically oriented motion resulting from his increased slot, a fastball/breaking ball-heavy energy strategy (a minimum of 80% fastball/slider to each righties and lefties) and an elevated stroll fee at instances paired with an enormous whiff fee.
His slider particularly fell off final yr, going from the sport’s most respected by runs above common in 2024 to opposing hitters slugging .374 in opposition to it in 2025. Nonetheless, although, Stop is coming off posting a career-best strikeout fee of 29.8% and placing up a fielding unbiased pitching rating of three.56, a slight enchancment when in comparison with his common from 2021 to 2024.
These peripherals, when coupled along with his age and the deficiencies of the opposite obtainable starters, made him one of the engaging pitchers in free company.
Stop was tendered a $22.025 million qualifying supply by the Padres, which he declined by the Nov. 18 deadline. As a result of he signed with a brand new crew, San Diego will obtain a compensatory draft choose after the fourth spherical.
A sixth-round choose from the Chicago Cubs out of Georgia in 2014, Stop initially went to the neighboring Chicago White Sox alongside Eloy Jimenez in a 2017 commerce headlined by Jose Quintana, then was acquired by the San Diego Padres for a package deal of prospects in March of 2024.
In 5 years as a full-time starter from 2021 to 2025, Stop led the majors in strikeouts (1,106) but in addition in walks (361) and wild pitches (51).
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and Kiley McDaniel contributed to this report.