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Blue Jays Make Surprising $30M Free Agent Signing
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- Blue Jays Make Surprising $30M Free Agent Signing
Sam Greene/The Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC
The Toronto Blue Jays ' next move in free agency is a surprising one, as they've added another starting pitcher. But this time, rather than one ( Dylan Cease ) who hasn't missed a major league start since 2021, it's one who hasn't pitched a single inning in the big leagues since 2021. Cody Ponce , however, had an incredible breakout season in 2025 in Korea, and with it, has earned a three-year, $30 million deal from the Jays.
Ponce won the KBO MVP this past season, going 17-1 with the Hanwha Eagles. He had a 1.89 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP and 252 strikeouts in 180 2/3 innings. That's a far cry from the 55 innings he threw in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 2020 and 2021, when he racked up a 5.86 ERA.
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The 31-year-old left North America for Japan after initially flopping in MLB, and his three years with the Nippon Ham Fighters weren't anything to write home about either. He posted a 4.54 ERA over that time, with a 1.36 WHIP.
But in 2025, he arrived in Korea with a new splitter and a couple of extra mph on his fastball, and he was simply dominant. He struck out 12.6 batters per nine innings, against just 2.0 BB/9.
The recent history of pitchers returning from Korea is promising… sort of
The last North American pitcher to find such great success in Korea and then return to the majors was Erick Fedde in 2024. Like Ponce, Fedde was a flop in the majors his first time around, with ERAs almost consistently over 5.00. But a year in the KBO did him wonders, as he went 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA in 2023. That translated to a triumphant return to the big leagues, as he posted a 3.30 ERA for the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals .
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The Blue Jays are obviously hoping that Ponce's transition back to MLB goes much like Fedde's. (Then again, Fedde reverted back to a 5.49 ERA through 32 starts in 2025).
Toronto has been one of the more aggressive teams in free agency thus far, now having spent $240 million on starting pitching ($210M of it to Cease). The bullpen is still in need of some serious high-leverage help, however, and to that end, they have been linked to one of the top closers on the open market.
They've also got some huge decisions to make on available free agent bats .
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