The same day the Toronto Blue Jays officially signed Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal, they swooped in for another starting pitcher.
Right-hander Cody Ponce, making his return to MLB after three years playing in Asia, agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract with Toronto on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Ponce was not among Yahoo Sports’ top 50 free agents, but he did receive mention as an intriguing player pursuing a comeback.
Advertisement
Previously a member of the Pirates organization, Ponce was released by Pittsburgh following the 2022 season. To that point, he held a career 5.86 ERA in the majors. He then opted to try reviving his career overseas, first playing in Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
That first time in NPB didn’t work out too well, as Ponce’s 4.54 ERA across three seasons ranked well below league average in the pitching-dominated league. However, he found new life in South Korea with the Hanwha Eagles.
With a 17-1 record, 1.89 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 180 2/3 innings, Ponce posted a Triple Crown, won KBO MVP honors and led Hanwha to the Korean Series, which they lost 4-1. In that one season, he reestablished his MLB value with a two-tick spike in fastball velocity and the introduction of an effective splitter.
Now he’s moving back to MLB, with an eight-figure deal to play for the defending AL champions. The signing does raise a question for the Jays, though.
Advertisement
What are the Toronto Blue Jays going to do with all these arms?
The Blue Jays now have both Cease and Ponce aboard, at a total price of $40 million per year (minus inflation on deferred money). That’s a significant investment, especially when the team seemed to need only one more starting pitcher when it entered the offseason.
In addition to Ponce and Cease, Toronto has a trio of veterans in Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber and José Berríos, as well as electric rookie Trey Yesavage, who made history multiple times during the team’s playoff run. That sextet will be due around $100 million in 2026.
Advertisement
Unless the Blue Jays are planning to roll out a six-man rotation or are really worried about one of their incumbent pitchers being hurt, there could be another move to come in the form of a trade. The likely candidate there would be Berríos, who has three years and $68.1 million left on his contract.
Berríos posted a 4.17 ERA in 166 innings last season — solid enough — but was sidelined by an elbow issue in September and never appeared in the postseason. That’s a concerning development for a 31-year-old pitcher, but with the Ponce signing, it’s not nearly as much of a problem for Toronto going into 2026.
