The Toronto Blue Jays have made a shocking move on the free agent market, as they’ve agreed to a three-year deal with free agent pitcher Cody Ponce, per Ken Rosenthal of the The Athletic.
Ponce spent the last four years overseas, enjoying a breakout season in the KBO in 2025. Rosenthal recently wrote about him as a hot free agent commodity, with help from pitching expert Eno Sarris:
Sarris wrote, “After sitting 93 with the Pirates in 2020-21, Ponce was up two ticks with the Hanwha Eagles. Those ticks also made his breaking balls better, as they were unimpressive by shape when he was last in MLB. (His) new pitch was a plus splitter that he threw more than any other secondary. The result was a strikeout percentage that was better than any of the other pitchers who have come over from KBO.”
Ponce, listed at 6-feet-6 and 255 pounds, went 17-1 with Hanwha with a 1.89 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 180 2/3 innings. He spent the previous three seasons in Japan, and did not enjoy that level of success.
He won MVP of the KBO for his efforts.
He had spent parts of two seasons in the big leagues, going 1-7 with a 5.86 ERA.
How will the Blue Jays use him?
It seems very clear that Ponce is coming back to the United States as a starter, and he’ll pair with Shane Bieber, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Dylan Cease on that front.
What about Jose Berrios?
Berrios, 31, appears to be the odd man out right now. There are seemingly two options for him.
1) The Blue Jays could try to trade him, though it seems difficult to move his contract, which has $66 million remaining. Berrios also has an opt-out after 2026 which further complicates matters.
2) The Blue Jays could send him to the bullpen, and then utilize him as a fill-in for any injuries, or if they want to protect Trey Yesavage, who threw more than 139 innings in his first professional season. Eric Lauer had been scheduled to be in that role, we presume.
What’s next for Toronto?
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the deal with Ponce is for $30 million. The Blue Jays are going to blow past the third level of the CBT, and will incur massive financial penalties, unless they can deal Berrios.
They are still being linked to high-end relievers, Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette. It’s unclear if the spending spree will stop, but it’s clear that the Jays are seeking a return trip to the World Series in 2026.
The winter meetings begin Dec. 7 in Orlando.
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