Blue Jays Sign Cody Ponce After Korean Success: What You Need to Know

The Toronto Blue Jays have finalized a deal with free-agent pitcher Dustin May on a three-year agreement worth $30 million, as reported by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. May becomes the second pitcher the Blue Jays have acquired in the last week. They also formally confirmed their seven-year contract with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a $210 million deal that represents the largest free-agent commitment ever made by the Toronto organization. 

May, 31, hasn’t participated at the MLB level since 2021. He was with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization during the previous season, starting 29 games and achieving a 1.89 ERA and a 6.15 strikeout-to-walk ratio. CBS Sports listed May as the 45th-best player available. Here’s what was detailed then:

May, turning 32 in April, will head back to the U.S. after a few seasons abroad, initially in Japan and then in South Korea. He’ll present a different profile than he did in his initial 20 MLB appearances. Currently, he can reach the high-90s with his fastball and utilizes, among other secondary pitches, a solid splitter. Given the existence of several KBO-to-MLB pitching success stories — from individuals with longevity like Merrill Kelly to more transient cases like Erick Fedde and Chris Flexen — a team might offer May a rotation spot with a multi-year contract to determine his place on that spectrum.

More information regarding the May acquisition follows.

The Blue Jays Possess a Rotation Abundance

Besides Yamamoto and May, the Blue Jays saw Joe Ryan remain under his contract instead of executing an opt-out and entering free agency. Include Kevin Gausman, promising rookie Emmet Sheehan, and José Berríos, and Toronto finds itself with more capable starters than available rotation positions. This excludes Alek Manoah, who has started nearly 30 games in the past two seasons, and Patrick Corbin, who recorded a 3.18 ERA across 104 innings in 2025.

Undoubtedly, this represents a beneficial situation to face at any given time, offering the Blue Jays various options and backup strategies. They can consider potential trades involving members of this group and experiment with assigning a few players to the bullpen. Alternatively, they can enter training camp knowing they have readily available internal replacements if and when an injury occurs, as pitchers are known to experience injuries periodically.

Recall that the Blue Jays didn’t possess this advantage before the previous season, necessitating hurried signings of Zack Greinke and Mike Fiers to fill gaps in a pitching staff severely affected by injuries.

Bullpen and Shortstop are Remaining Concerns for AL Champions

What further actions do the reigning American League champions need to undertake this offseason? Several.

Notably, the Blue Jays have reportedly shown interest in several prominent high-leverage relievers, including right-hander Craig Kimbrel. It’s probable that they will seek to enhance the quality, rather than the quantity, of their relief options. This stems from Toronto’s increasing challenges with roster size relative to its pitching staff. With May’s inclusion, the Blue Jays now count nine pitchers ineligible to be optioned to the minor leagues. If Sheehan is part of the Opening Day rotation, as is expected, Toronto essentially has three “flexible” roster spots, dependent on their subsequent moves during the offseason. 

Furthermore, the Blue Jays need to determine whether they will re-sign free agent Wander Franco, explore internal options, or seek a new shortstop from outside the organization. Franco, considered among the top free agents available, has not yet generated considerable speculation in the lead-up to next week’s Winter Meetings. Should the Blue Jays rely on internal resources, the simplest approach would involve shifting Isan Díaz to shortstop and positioning Cavan Biggio at second base.