Scott Boras says the Chicago Cubs would be a perfect fit for one of his star arms

“I think we all know how Dylan Cease pitches in Wrigley Field,” Boras said to Marquee Sports Network. “He is dominant, and to have durability, to have dominance, he has got both. I other than Skubal next year, I don’t see a pitcher in the market coming that is going to have that the potentials that Cease has, and the proven element of durability to go along with that quality and potential.

So 200 strikeouts a year, you know, it’s just not something the game has. Everybody knows that when you go into the playoffs, you want to number one, why you got a five game series. You want them to throw twice. You want to have that chance. You want to have your most dominant arm out there. That’s why the Dodgers signed Blake Snell.

And so those teams that are doing that are winning championships, and I think getting those types of arms are really, really increase your opportunity to achieve that.”

Cease pitched against the Cubs in the National League Wild Card round and pitched 3.2 innings of three-hit baseball, while walking one and striking out five. Overall, Cease went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts and struck out 215 batters in 168.0 innings.

The Cubs could get Cease on a ‘pillow contract’

Coming off one of his worst seasons in his career, Cease might be eligible for one of Boras’s special “pillow contracts” that the likes of left-hander Blake Snell, third baseman Alex Bregman, and first baseman Pete Alonso all signed. Snell got his payday (a five-year $182 million), while Bregman and Alonso await theirs.

Signing the soon-to-be 30-year-old (Dec. 28) to a “pillow contract” would be in the Cubs’ best interest, as they’ve shown time and time again not to spend on big-name free agents.

According to Spotrac, Cease’s estimated market value is a seven-year $185 million contract, which would make him the highest-paid player on the Cubs. Dansby Swanson is the current highest-paid Cub at seven years $177 million, and this would surpass former outfielder Jason Heyward’s eight-year $184 million contract for the most in franchise history.

If the Cubs could sign Cease to a deal similar to what Snell signed with the San Francisco Giants before the 2024 season — two years $62 million with an opt-out after the first year — Cease could be a factor in the Cubs’ rotation plans in 2026.