Blue Jays deepen future pitching depth with international signing

During the past few seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays, one of their key weaknesses had been their lack of pitching depth in the organization. It just seemed like almost every time they needed internal help, they couldn’t find a suitable replacement to sufficiently help fill the void. This is exactly why the old saying still rings true, "you can never have enough pitching depth."

Well, the Blue Jays have recently picked up some of that depth from the international market as they signed pitching prospect Seo-jun Moon out of South Korea. According to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, the deal involves also a $1.5 million signing bonus. Considering that Toronto added some ample international pool space when they traded with the Cleveland Guardians for Myles Straw, they have finally put some of that money to good use.

Blue Jays deepen future pitching depth with international signing

In addition, Moon is believed to be one of the best pitching prospects in the KBO who wasn't drafted into the Korean league after signing a contract with the Jays, as per Sportsnet. Reports by Zwelling have also shown that the towering 6-foot-5 right-hander possessed a low-90s fastball that could hit as high as the mid-90s, along with an advanced ability to spin the ball. In addition, Moon is believed to be projectable and a strong competitor.

The last time the Jays had a Korean pitcher come through for them, it just so happened to be star pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, who inked a four-year, $80 million contract during the 2019-20 offseason. Ryu may have had his ups and downs during his tenure with the ballclub, but his impact in Toronto will never be forgotten.

Whenever he was on his game, he was definitely among the best in the business, as exemplified by his second place finish in Cy Young voting with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019 and subsequently a third place place finish in 2020 with the Blue Jays.

As for Moon, he is just 18 years old with plenty of upside and potential in the years ahead of him. If he can eventually develop well in the Jays’ system and turn out to resemble anything like Ryu, it would turn out to be a huge win for Toronto and the future of their pitching staff.