The American League champion Toronto Blue Jays added yet another starting pitcher on December 2. Cody Ponce, the KBO triple crown winner from 2025, is headed back to North America on a three-year deal. He’ll look to complement a rotation that included three important arms for the Jays’ run to the World Series, as well as Dylan Cease.
A Look at Ponce
It’s been a bit since fans in North America have seen Cody Ponce, a second-round pick by the Brewers back in 2015. Ponce was originally drafted as a starter and spent most of his Minor League career as one. However, he worked mostly as a reliever throughout his two-year tenure with the Pirates.
Ponce tossed 17 innings over five outings back in the shortened 2020 season with the Pirates. He posted a 3.18 ERA that campaign. However, Ponce was hit hard the following year, as he gave up eight home runs in only 38 innings with Pittsburgh.
That wound up being Ponce’s last MLB appearance to date. The right-hander spent three years in the NPB, two with Nippon Ham and one with Rakuten. Ponce took a major step forward in 2025 when he moved to the KBO.
Ponce struck out 252 batters over 180 innings for the Hanwha Eagles, along with 17 wins and a 1.89 ERA. He won the KBO version of the triple crown, leading the circuit in all three categories.
This was a very different version of Ponce, at least compared to how he performed years ago in the Majors. Ponce showed good command, hitting the black and getting chases out of the zone.
In particular, his fastball proved to be an overwhelming pitch in the circuit. It had a lot of staying power, both up and out of the zone. Not to mention, his velocity was ticking up. Generally speaking, Ponce averaged around 93 MPH with Pittsburgh. This past season, Ponce was regularly hitting around 154 KM/H, which translates to 95 MPH.
Aside from that pitch, Ponce still used a lot of the offerings he had as a Major Leaguer. He was working with a mid-80s changeup and gyro slider, coupled with a curveball that sat around the 80 MPH range.
Per reports, the Blue Jays are signing Cody Ponce for a three-year deal worth $30MM.
Analysis
Ponce wasn’t the only notable KBO starter to reportedly head back to North America. Ryan Weiss, a teammate of Ponce with Hanwha, struck out 207 over 178 innings last season, his second in the KBO. Weiss previously spent time in the Diamondbacks and Royals’ organizations.
For Ponce, it’s a return to try to break through as a Major League starter. He’ll join a lengthy list of players like Chris Flexen, Kyle Hart, and Erick Fedde, as pitchers who had success in the KBO and eventually returned to North America.
It’s an interesting list, given that the above names have had mixed success since returning. Flexen did well as a starter with the Mariners for several seasons, while Fedde had a dominant first half in 2024 with the White Sox. Hart did better as a reliever in San Diego after initially making the Padres’ rotation last season.
The Blue Jays will hope that Ponce can add rotation depth for a group that presently includes Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, as well as the newly signed Dylan Cease. Cease officially signed on December 2.
Given that this is a three-year pact, it does give the Blue Jays some protection for 2027 and beyond. That’s important, given that Gausman and Bieber are free agents at the end of 2026.
Starting pitching isn’t cheap in MLB; Cease’s contract was proof of that. If Ponce can deliver roughly league-average production at a $10MM AAV, that’s not bad.
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