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After whiffing on their top targets the last two years, the Toronto Blue Jays finally connected on a big free agent last night, reportedly agreeing to a seven-year, $210-million US deal with talented pitcher Dylan Cease.

The right-handed starter, who turns 30 next month, went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts last season for the San Diego Padres. But you have to look beyond those unsightly traditional stats to get a true sense of Cease's quality. And what the underlying numbers show is a strikeout artist of the highest order.

Last season, Cease struck out 215 batters over 168 innings. That works out to 11.5 Ks per nine, w

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