Blue Jays Sign Cody Ponce to 3-Year, $30 Million Deal

The Toronto Blue Jays bolstered their pitching staff on Tuesday by agreeing to a three-year, $30 million contract with right-handed pitcher Cody Ponce, who returns to Major League Baseball after a dominant MVP season in South Korea's KBO League.

Ponce, 31, spent the 2025 season with the Hanwha Eagles, where he compiled a 17-1 record with a 1.89 earned run average over 180.2 innings in 29 starts. He struck out 252 batters, including a single-game KBO record of 18 on May 17, earning him the league's MVP award and the Choi Dongwon Award as the top starting pitcher. The towering 6-foot-6 hurler, whose fastball now averages 95 mph, developed a splitter in Korea that became a key strikeout weapon, a pitch that aligns well with the arsenals of several Blue Jays starters.

This signing comes on the same day the Blue Jays finalized a seven-year, $210 million deal with fellow right-hander Dylan Cease, signaling an aggressive push to rebuild their rotation following a pennant-winning campaign. Toronto's current core includes veterans Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber and José Berríos, along with promising rookie Trey Yesavage. Ponce is expected to provide depth, potentially serving as a sixth...