Blue Jays Land 31-Year-Old Attempting MLB Comeback: Report

By Patrick McAvoy

Contributing Sports Writer

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The Toronto Blue Jays had a busy day on Tuesday, to say the least.

Toronto announced the signing of 29-year-old starting pitcher Dylan Cease. That's not all, though. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Blue Jays are finalizing a three-year agreement with 31-year-old starting pitcher Cody Ponce.

"Free-agent right-hander Cody Ponce is finalizing a three-year agreement with the Blue Jays, sources tell The Athletic," Rosenthal wrote on X.

ESPN's Jeff Passan followed up with the reported terms of the agreement.

...

"Right-hander Cody Ponce and the Toronto Blue Jays are finalizing a three-year, $30 million contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN," Passan wrote on X. "The AL champs get the KBO MVP, who went 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA and struck out 252 in 180.2 innings. First on the agreement was Ken Rosenthal."

Ponce hasn't pitched in a big league game since 2021 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was selected in the second round of the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft and eventually made his big league debut in 2020. Ponce pitched in just 20 major league games across the 2020 and 2021 seasons and had a 5.86 ERA and a 48-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 55 1/3 innings pitched.

The righty has been an intriguing free agent to follow this offseason not because of his big league performance, but it's because he's pitched well abroad. Since 2021, Ponce has pitched for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball. He spent the 2025 season with the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League and was lights-out. Ponce had a 1.89 ERA in 29 starts and was named the 2025 KBO MVP.

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