Blue Jays' locking up Dylan Cease is a start, what's next for Toronto?

When the Blue Jays locked up Dylan Cease on a seven-year, $210 million deal on Wednesday, it felt like a big, bold move to get out ahead of the pitching market before all of the other teams could blink.

Now that they have addressed starting pitching, giving them one of the best rotations in Major League Baseball, what's their next move?

The next logical answer to improve the Blue Jays lineup would be to sign either Bo Bichette or Kyle Tucker.

I think that the priority is to bring Bichette back, but there are no guarantees in free agency when it comes to dollars and cents.

The Blue Jays have the financial flexibility to be «in» on whomever they want, the question is how will the allocate, and to whom?

The Answer: Go all out and re-sign Bo Bichette long-term.

Beyond the need for one big bat, the Blue Jays' bullpen remains the logical next step and they are expected to ramp up those talks as the relief market unfolds at the Winter Meetings.

Last winter, they brought back Yimi Garcia on a two-year deal. This winter, they are expected to aim higher.

This is where player development quietly plays a role. Past Blue Jays teams have needed to spend on the bullpen, even if that came in smaller chunks, because this organization was not producing enough big league arms from its own system.

Now, with development success stories like Braydon Fisher and Mason Fluharty on top of Trey Yesavage and an improving pipeline of starters, some of these gaps are being filled in naturally, without the need to hand $6 million to a veteran.

The result? An increased appetite to focus their resources at the higher end of the market.

The Blue Jays have Jeff Hoffman in the closer's role for now and Louis Varland in place as a high-powered setup man, but the Seranthony Dominguez role needs to be replaced.

The Answer: Move Hoffman into Dominguez's setup role, and sign free agent closer Edwin Diaz.

The Blue Jays already met with Diaz's representatives, so it's obvious he's their top choice to fill that void.

The Blue Jays adding an established closer is absolutely possible, especially after such a heartbreaking bullpen collapse in game 7 of the World Series.