Blue Jays bolster rotation with off the radar signing of former KBO MVP

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to bolster their starting rotation, just hours after the Dylan Cease signing was made official. According to Ken Rosenthal, free-agent right-hander Cody Ponce is finalizing a three-year, $30-million agreement with the Blue Jays.

The 31-year-old has spent the last four years pitching overseas, splitting his time between the Japan Pacific League, Japan Eastern League and the KBO. Last year, he was nothing short of dominant in Korea, bringing home the MVP while pitching to a 1.89 ERA across 180.2 innings, striking out a ridiculous 272 hitters, all to a record of 17-1.

The 6'6 righty last played in the Majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021, where he made 15 appearances and recorded a 7.04 ERA in 38.1 innings. Despite a horrendous end to his tenure in the Majors, the Blue Jays are banking on a major bounceback, which is fair to assume while looking at what he was able to accomplish in 2025. His year was capped off by one of the best outings in KBO history, setting a record for the most strikeouts in a KBO game.

Blue Jays bolster rotation with off the radar signing of former KBO MVP

Ponce was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the second round of the 2015 MLB Draft, and has a career 5.86 to go along with 48 strikeouts in 55.1 major league innings. The last time Ponce was on a big league mound in 2021, his fastball velolcity was in the low-90s and was paired with a poor changeup.

In his 2025 KBO year, the fastball increased to 95 mph on average, but was able to jump up to 97 mph at it's fastest. During his time playing in the various leagues in Asia, he developed a new splitter with strong velocity and vertical movement. Although its difficult to diagnose how much the KBO whiff rates will translate into the MLB, his improved pitch shapes give him real upside.

The newest Blue Jay now joins a starting rotation of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios. An already excellent rotation just got a whole lot deeper, and the three-year deal helps fill some gaps past 2026, considering Gausman and Bieber will be off the books.

It will be intriuging to hear about the approach to the rotation once Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins speaks at the Winter meetings. That being said, they are in a phenomenal position when it comes to depth.

While the Blue Jays strengthened their rotation with this move, Ponce’s exact role is still up in the air. His velocity spike and new changeup give him a real shot at starting, but he could also thrive as a high-leverage bullpen arm. Either way, Toronto is betting on a revamped pitcher with a high upside. Ross Atkins is still showing that he's prepared to flex his muscles this winter, and he most likely isn't done yet.