Corbin Burnes

Kelly returns to fortify Arizona's rotation mix that also features Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Soroka and, eventually, Corbin Burnes once he completes his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The 37-year-old veteran was shipped to the Rangers at the trade deadline after the Diamondbacks fell out of playoff contention and finished last season with a strong 3.52 ERA -- 3.76 FIP -- and 22.3 percent strikeout rate across 184 innings over 32 starts. His familiarity with the NL West's unforgiving ballparks is a quiet boost to his fantasy appeal, and his combination of elite control and durability keeps him in the top-60 starter range heading into drafts next spring after eclipsing 27 starts in five of the last six full seasons since 2019.

There's deferred money in the deal that makes it around $26 million per year for luxury tax purposes, but in terms of cash, Cease gets the seventh-largest contract in history for a pitcher, tied with Max Scherzer's seven-year deal that expired in 2021 and Corbin Burnes' seven-year deal signed a year ago. Cease replaces Chris Bassitt and is set to join Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios and Trey Yesavage in the Jays' 2026 rotation. He should probably be looked at in the 15-20 range among fantasy SPs.