right handed batsman Cody Ponce and this toronto blue jays They agreed to terms on a three-year, $30 million contract, the largest contract ever for a homegrown player returning from the Korea Baseball Organization, sources told ESPN.
The 31-year-old Ponce won the KBO Most Valuable Player title this year, going 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 252 strikeouts against 41 walks in 180⅔ innings for the Hanwha Eagles. Ponce, a former second-rounder who threw 55⅓ innings with Pittsburgh in 2020-21, has rebuilt his arsenal and joined the deep Blue Jays rotation that added the right-hander last week. dialing off For $210 million over seven years.
The highest previous contract for a player returning from the KBO was a two-year, $15 million deal chicago white sox right hand lamp Eric Fedde Before the 2024 season.
Ponce arrives with high expectations and better things to come. Ponce added power and turned his 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame into a strike-throwing machine, sitting at 95 mph with his fastball, topping out at 98, and using a low-spin kick changeup to elude hitters.
Toronto, which has been one of the most aggressive teams in Asia in recent years, expressed interest in Ponce early in free agency and did not back down even as the contract price rose. Despite a rotation that already includes pitchers and right-handers kevin gosman, trey yesways, shane bieber And jose barriosToronto increased its projected luxury tax payroll by more than $270 million, exceeding the first threshold of the competitive-balance tax.
Whether the Blue Jays will consider a six-man rotation or simply want the comfort of more starting pitching, their pursuit of Ponce solidifies the pitching staff of the American League pennant winners. The deal, pending a physical, is the latest in a series of moves made by AL East teams this winter, including the signing of Cease, a trade for Boston’s right-hander. sonny gray And Baltimore is closing in on signings Ryan Helsley And trading for a left fielder taylor ward,
toronto pushed los angeles dodgers For a fall in the World Series on the strength of pitches similar to Ponce’s changeup, which has a movement profile similar to Gausman and Yesave’s split-finger fastball. Ponce picked up the pitch while working out during the winter boston red sox ace Garrett Crochet And New York Mets right handed batsman Clay Homes – with whom he had played in Pittsburgh – and juggled with a proper grip that best suited his unusually large hands.
Pons spent the previous three seasons in Japan and posted a 4.54 ERA in 202 innings for Nippon Ham and Rakuten. He found his greatest success in Korea, which has been the springboard for Fedde. merrill kelly To return to MLB.
