Seeking to augment a starting rotation that’s already seen its share of turnover in recent months, the Blue Jays reached a three-year, $30 million deal with right-hander Cody Ponce Tuesday evening, according to industry sources.

The agreement, which is pending a physical, brings the former second-round draft pick back to the major leagues after stints in Japan and Korea. Most recently, Ponce posted a 1.89 ERA with 252 strikeouts in 180.2 innings for the KBO’s Hanwha Eagles, a performance that put him on the radar of MLB teams.

He was named the KBO’s MVP last season.

Having bolstered their presence in Asia in recent years, the Blue Jays tracked Ponce’s progress diligently, noticing his impressive results and added velocity (he sat 94-97 m.p.h. in October, according to FanGraphs). With a 36.2 per cent strikeout rate and 5.9 per cent walk rate, the right-hander dominated the opposition in Korea. Thanks to their understanding of the Pacific Rim market and increased investment there, the Blue Jays were ready to move swiftly on a pitcher who has intrigued them for months.

Though he pitched exclusively as a starter in 2025, Ponce also has extensive experience out of the bullpen, giving the Blue Jays flexibility if needed. That versatility could be useful in the post-season or, depending on the health and performance of other Toronto pitchers, in the regular season.

So far this off-season the Blue Jays have already added three starting pitchers as Shane Bieber exercised his player option and Dylan Cease signed a Blue Jays free-agent record seven-year, $210 million deal. As a result, the Blue Jays’ starting pitching options include:

Kevin Gausman
Dylan Cease
Shane Bieber
Trey Yesavage
Jose Berrios
Cody Ponce
Eric Lauer
Bowden Francis

Inevitably, injuries will occur throughout the season and the Blue Jays will shuffle players in and out of the starting rotation accordingly. If they have more than five starters healthy at a given moment, Francis has options and Lauer and Ponce have experience out of the bullpen, so manager John Schneider can get creative.

While nothing has officially been ruled out it’s now harder to see a path to a reunion with Chris Bassitt or Max Scherzer. Michael King was also of interest to the Blue Jays, but the fit isn’t as clean there either anymore.

Ultimately, more starting pitching options are a good thing, so Ponce’s presence makes the Blue Jays a better team. Still, they have work remaining with a late-inning relief arm likely to be a target and position players like Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette still possibilities. There’s no guarantee the Blue Jays land a bat of that calibre, though, and their markets appear to be developing more slowly.

In the meantime, the Blue Jays have meaningfully improved their pitching staff.