Cody Ponce Signs With Toronto Blue Jays

If you blinked back in 2021, you probably missed Cody Ponce’s first cup of coffee in the big leagues. And honestly? You didn’t miss much. A 5.86 ERA with the Pirates doesn’t exactly scream “future $30 million pitcher.” But baseball has a funny way of rewarding the guys who take the long road, and nobody has taken a longer, windier road back to the show than Ponce.

The Toronto Blue Jays are betting big that the guy returning from overseas isn’t the same one who left. Sources tell ESPN that Toronto has locked up the right-hander on a three-year deal, and while the ink is still drying, the message is clear: The Jays believe the reinvention is real.

The Reinvention Of Cody Ponce In Korea

Let’s be real—when a pitcher heads overseas in his late 20s, it’s usually a one-way ticket. But Ponce didn’t just go to the KBO to collect a paycheck; he went there to completely overhaul his game.

After a stint in Japan’s NPB that was decent but not earth-shattering, Ponce moved to the Hanwha Eagles in the KBO for the 2025 season and absolutely went nuclear. We aren’t talking about a solid season; we’re talking about video game numbers. He went 17-1. He posted a 1.89 ERA. He struck out a KBO record 252 batters.

For context, that’s not just dominating; that’s looking at the competition and laughing. He even sat down 18 batters in a single game last May. When you win the league MVP and the Choi Dong-won Award (think the Korean Cy Young), MLB teams stop looking at your birth certificate and start looking at your spin rates.

Why the Blue Jays Are Buying the Hype

So, what changed? Did the KBO hitters just forget how to swing? Not exactly. The scouting report on Ponce looks dramatically different today than it did five years ago.

He’s filled out that massive 6-foot-6 frame, and the radar gun proves it. We used to see a heater sitting at 93 mph; now, Ponce is averaging 95.5 mph and touching the upper 90s. But the real money-maker is the “kick change.” It’s a devastating off-speed pitch that generated a 46% whiff rate last season.

When you pair a goofy amount of swing-and-miss stuff with a fastball that can blow by hitters, you get a recipe for MLB success. The Blue Jays, who just backed up the Brinks truck for Dylan Cease, clearly see Ponce as the perfect high-upside arm to slot into a revamped rotation.

Can Ponce Replicate the Erick Fedde Effect?

There is precedent here. We’ve seen guys like Merrill Kelly and Erick Fedde go overseas, figure it out, and come back to the States dealing aces. Fedde, in particular, followed a similar path—dominated the KBO, came back, and posted a 3.30 ERA over 30+ starts.

The Jays are banking on Ponce being the next name on that list. It’s a gamble, sure. There’s always a risk that KBO stats won’t translate directly to the AL East, where the lineups are deeper, and the ballparks are unforgiving. But for a team chasing a ring, adding a guy who just spent a year forgetting how to lose is a risk worth taking.