None of that has moved the number much — Toronto's still getting a plus-money price to win outright, which tells you the market still respects Cease more than it respects a Blue Jays offense that's been shorthanded most of August. New York's price reflects a team that hasn't lost since the middle of last week and doesn't have to change anything to keep it going.
The bigger swing factor for Toronto is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He cleared concussion protocol after a rehab game at Single-A Dunedin and is reportedly in line to be activated for this series, which would hand John Schneider his middle-of-the-order bat back at the exact moment his club needs one. Schneider's already framed the recent stretch as a turning point, saying "maybe the baseball gods are changing their minds about us" — but a Wild Card push with a rotation this banged up needs its lineup whole to have a real shot.
- Day-To-DayAndres Gimenez (SS) — Gimenez (hamstring) is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Yankees.08/21
- 7-Day ILVladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B) — Guerrero has cleared concussion protocol and will play a rehab game with Single-A Dunedin on Thursday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.08/20
- 10-Day-ILJosh Smith (2B) — Smith went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer during the Blue Jays' 10-5 win over the Rays on Tuesday.08/21
- 10-Day-ILLuis Urias (2B) — The Blue Jays announced Monday that Urias (quadriceps) will be shut down for the next two weeks, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.08/10
- 10-Day-ILJonatan Clase (LF) — Clase (foot) isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.07/22
- 15-Day-ILTrey Yesavage (SP) — Yesavage (knee) resumed throwing from flat ground Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.08/18
- 15-Day-ILJameson Taillon (SP) — Taillon (forearm) resumed a throwing program with some flat-ground work Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.08/18
- 60-Day-ILJoe Mantiply (RP) — Mantiply (knee) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Dunedin on Wednesday, striking out one in a perfect inning.08/20
- 60-Day-ILJake Bloss (SP) — The Blue Jays recalled Bloss from Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday and placed him on the 60-day injured list while he recovers from a right teres major strain, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.08/12
- 60-Day-ILYimi Garcia (RP) — Garcia (elbow/neck/biceps) has been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.08/07
- 60-Day-ILPatrick Corbin (SP) — Toronto transferred Corbin (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.08/05
- 60-Day-ILAddison Barger (RF) — Barger is expected to be sidelined six months following surgery Monday to repair his right elbow UCL, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.07/27
- 60-Day-ILAnthony Santander (RF) — Santander is still dealing with discomfort in his surgically repaired left shoulder and recently received another cortisone shot, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.07/17
- 60-Day-ILJose Berrios (SP) — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Berrios underwent full Tommy John surgery Wednesday in addition to having a stress fracture repaired, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.05/27
- 60-Day-ILCody Ponce (SP) — Ponce underwent surgery Friday to repair the ACL in his right knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILBowden Francis (SP) — The Blue Jays placed Francis (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.05/08
- 10-Day-ILRyan McMahon (3B) — McMahon (thumb) is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest in Baltimore.08/21
- 10-Day-ILCody Bellinger (LF) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday on the "Talkin' Yanks" podcast by Jomboy Media that Bellinger (hamstring) could be activated from the 10-day injured list as soon as Sunday.08/19
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton (DH) — Manager Aaron Boone said that Stanton (calf) did some baserunning Saturday, but the Yankees remain uncertain when the five-time All-Star will be ready to begin a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.08/18
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried (SP) — Fried (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.08/21
- 15-Day-ILKervin Castro (RP) — The Yankees placed Castro on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Monday, with right elbow neuritis.08/11
- 60-Day-ILAaron Judge (RF) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Judge (ribs) will begin a hitting progression this week, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.08/18
- 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt (SP) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Schmidt (elbow) will be preparing to return from the 60-day injured list as a reliever, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. "That can always change as the weeks and month unfolds, just depending," Boone said, regarding Schmidt's potential role. "But that's kind of how we're looking at."08/18
Toronto's pitching depth chart is the real problem underneath all of it — Trey Yesavage, Jameson Taillon, Jose Berrios, Patrick Corbin, Jake Bloss, Cody Ponce and Bowden Francis are all out of the rotation picture in some form, which puts enormous weight on days when Cease is on the bump. New York doesn't have that issue; Max Fried is working back from an elbow injury, but the rotation around him has held up fine, and Ryan McMahon's fresh thumb sprain is an infield inconvenience, not a crisis. Two teams heading in very different directions meet with the standings still very much unsettled for one of them.