The American League Championship Series has hit rock bottom. The Toronto Blue Jays beat Seattle 6-2 on Sunday night, which meant that Game 7 would be the last one. The winner will move on to play the Dodgers in the World Series. The other will have a heartbreaking end to their season.

What should be Toronto’s moment of victory has another side. John Schneider, the manager of the Blue Jays, said something shocking about how he was feeling before the most important game of the season. “My emotional state has been a freaking mess for months, man, to be honest with you,” Schneider admitted after Sunday’s elimination-averting win. The manager’s candor was remarkable, acknowledging the psychological toll of navigating high-stakes postseason baseball.

He praised pitcher Trey Yesavage for being able to handle pressure, saying that the young arm “settled himself down” after facing threats from Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh with the bases loaded earlier in the series. “I have so much confidence in every guy on the team,” Schneider said, though his admission of personal turmoil suggests the weight of managing these moments has taken its toll. Still, he embraced the chaos: “This is fun. I can’t wait for, I wish we were playing right now.”

The Mariners now have to deal with the fact that they lost home-field advantage after controlling the series. Cal Raleigh and Seattle’s offense only scored two runs on Sunday, even though they had been doing well before that. The pressure is now all on Game 7, where Toronto has a big advantage. In best-of-seven series, teams that play winner-take-all games at home have a record of 30 wins and 29 losses, which is only slightly better than a coin flip. The Blue Jays haven’t been in a Game 7 since 1985. The Mariners have never done that. On Monday night, one team will make history. The other will just become a part of history.

The front office is already thinking about the future, even though Monday’s game will decide what happens to Toronto right away. The Blue Jays built a championship-caliber team by making bold moves, and they’re not done yet.

Blue Jays eye Dylan Cease as next big move

Toronto wasn’t just in this position. The Toronto Blue Jays won the AL East this season because their front office was determined to win, and that aggressive attitude doesn’t seem to be going away. Toronto showed its support for its core players by extending Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s contract for 14 years and $500 million.

But the work doesn’t end after Game 7. Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, and maybe Shane Bieber all have to decide what to do about free agency. The long-term future of Bo Bichette is still up in the air. The rotation needs help, and Robert Murray from FanSided says that one name fits Toronto’s needs perfectly.

Murray identified the Blue Jays as a top destination for Padres ace Dylan Cease. “Dylan Cease: Cease’s free agency may not be as interesting as his trade deadline – many thought he was going to be traded to the Houston Astros – but it might not be far off,” Murray wrote Friday.

“He posted a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts with 215 strikeouts, topping 200+ strikeouts for the fifth straight season. I expect him to be paid like a frontline starter, and I can’t see that payday coming from the San Diego Padres. Best fits: Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays.” Murray further elaborated.

Cease is exactly what Toronto needs. The 29-year-old ace adds frontline depth to a rotation that is going through a lot of changes. Spotrac thinks that his market value will be about $158 million over the next six years. That’s not cheap, but Cease could be the player who helps Toronto win more championships right now, which would keep the team’s window open longer than this exciting postseason run.