On the same day the Toronto Blue Jays secured Dylan Schiess with a seven-year, $210 million deal, they also added another starting pitcher to their roster. Right-hander Cody Ponce, making his MLB return after three years in Asia, signed a three-year, $30 million contract with Toronto on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Although Ponce wasn’t listed among Yahoo Sports’ top 50 free agents, he was considered a compelling player to bring back.<\/p>\n
Previously part of the Pirates organization, Ponce was released following the 2022 season. His MLB career to that point included a 5.86 ERA. Seeking to revive his career, he went overseas, first playing in Japan for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Rakuten Golden Eagles.<\/p>\n
Ponce struggled initially in Japan, posting a 4.54 ERA over three seasons, below the league average, which was notable given the pitching-heavy environment. However, he found remarkable success with South Korea’s Hanwha Eagles.<\/p>\n
There, Ponce captured the Triple Crown with 17 wins, 1 loss, a 1.89 ERA, and 252 strikeouts over 180 2\/3 innings, earning KBO MVP honors. He led Hanwha to the Korea Series, which they lost 4-1. During that standout season, Ponce increased his fastball velocity by two ticks and added an effective splitter, boosting his MLB appeal.<\/p>\n
Returning now to MLB, Ponce has signed a significant contract with the reigning American League champions, the Blue Jays. Yet, this signing raises questions about Toronto’s pitching staff.<\/p>\n
Currently, the Blue Jays have Cease and Ponce contributing a combined $40 million annually (adjusted for inflation through deferred payments). This represents a major investment, especially as the team entered the offseason seemingly in need of just one additional starter.<\/p>\n
Alongside Ponce and Cease, Toronto boasts veterans Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and Jose Berrios, plus dynamic rookie Trey Yesavage, a standout performer in the playoffs. This six-man group will collectively earn around $100 million by 2026.<\/p>\n
Unless Toronto opts for a six-man rotation or is concerned about potential injuries among its pitchers, a trade could be in the cards. The most likely to be moved is Berrios, who has three years left on his contract totaling $68.1 million.<\/p>\n
Berrios pitched 166 innings last season with a 4.17 ERA but was sidelined due to elbow issues in September and missed the postseason. While this raises concerns about the 31-year-old, Ponce\u2019s signing provides some insurance for the Blue Jays as they approach 2026.<\/p>\n
Fan Take: This strategic bolstering of the Blue Jays\u2019 pitching lineup signals a bold push for dominance in the American League. For baseball fans, it highlights how international leagues can serve as valuable talent pools, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape of MLB.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On the same day the Toronto Blue Jays secured Dylan Schiess with a seven-year, $210 million deal, they also added another starting pitcher to their roster. Right-hander Cody Ponce, making his MLB return after three years in Asia, signed a three-year, $30 million contract with Toronto on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Although Ponce […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[16],"class_list":{"0":"post-30413","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baseball","8":"tag-baseball"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}