The Toronto Blue Jays have reached an settlement with free-agent starter Cody Ponce on a three-year pact price $30 million, in accordance with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. Ponce is the second starter the Blue Jays have added previously week. Additionally they formally introduced their seven-year cope with Dylan Stop, a $210 million pact that is the most important free-agent contract ever handed out by the Toronto franchise. 

Ponce, 31, has not pitched on the MLB degree since 2021. He spent final season with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Group, beginning 29 occasions and amassing a 1.89 ERA and a 6.15 strikeout-to-walk ratio. CBS Sports activities ranked Ponce because the Forty fifth-best participant available on the market. Here is what we wrote on the time:

Ponce, 32 come April, will return stateside after spending just a few years abroad, first in Japan after which in South Korea. He’ll look nothing like he did throughout his first 20 profession MLB appearances. Nowadays, he is able to touching into the upper-90s together with his heater and throws, amongst different secondaries, a top quality splitter. There are sufficient KBO-to-MLB pitching success tales — starting from somebody with endurance, in Merrill Kelly, to extra fleeting circumstances, like Erick Fedde and Chris Flexen — to examine a crew giving Ponce a rotation spot on a multi-year pact to exhibit the place he lands on that spectrum.

Here is extra to know in regards to the Ponce signing.

The Blue Jays have a rotation surplus

Along with Stop and Ponce, the Blue Jays had Shane Bieber stay in his contract fairly than execute an opt-out clause and enter free company. Consider Kevin Gausman, star rookie Trey Yesavage, and José Berríos, and Toronto has the posh of getting extra succesful starters than rotation slots. And that is with out mentioning Bowden Francis, who has began practically 30 occasions the previous two years, or Eric Lauer, who had a 3.18 ERA in 104 innings in 2025.

In fact, that is drawback to have at this or any time limit as a result of it offers the Blue Jays choices and contingency plans. They will entertain buying and selling from that group, they usually can toy with shifting a pair members to the bullpen. They will additionally enter camp realizing that if and when an harm occurs — and pitchers are recognized for getting harm every now and then — they’ve inside backups already in place.

Be mindful, the Blue Jays did not have that luxurious getting into final yr, once they needed to rush to signal Spencer Turnbull and José Ureña to function stopgaps on an injury-ravaged workers.

Bullpen, shortstop stay questions for AL champs

What else do the defending American League champions want to do that winter? A number of issues.

Foremost, the Blue Jays have been linked to many of the high-leverage relievers of word, together with right-hander Pete Fairbanks. It stands to purpose they’re going to try so as to add high quality as an alternative of amount to their aid corps. That is as a result of Toronto is beginning to run right into a numbers sport with its pitching workers. With Ponce included, the Blue Jays now have 9 pitchers who can’t be optioned to the minors. If Yesavage is a part of the Opening Day rotation — and you’ll assume he’s — then Toronto actually has solely three “flex” spots, relying on how they proceed with the remainder of the winter. 

Elsewhere, the Blue Jays have to determine if they will retain free agent Bo Bichette, flip to an inside substitute, or attempt to land a brand new shortstop from outdoors the group. Bichette, thought of top-of-the-line free brokers accessible, hasn’t but generated a lot rumor mill buzz forward of the beginning of subsequent week’s Winter Conferences. Ought to the Blue Jays keep in home, the trail of least resistance would have them slide Andrés Giménez to brief and set up Ernie Clement at second base.