Ex-Mets GM makes bold claim about Blue Jays rotation ft. Cody Ponce, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and more

The Toronto Blue Jays went from being just a contender in the AL East to a World Series runner-up in 2025. The franchise reached its first Fall Classic since the early 1990s, ending years of heartbreak. With the offseason underway, the Blue Jays have wasted no time in acquiring talent to bolster their bid for next season.

After signing reliable starter Dylan Cease, who last played for the Padres, Toronto has now acquired Cody Ponce, who was the KBO League's MVP this season after a stellar year with the Hanwha Eagles.

With two solid additions to the current crop of starters, former Mets general manager Steve Phillips believes the Blue Jays have one of the strongest rotations in the American League.

"You start thinking about now about the Blue Jays pitching," said Phillips on MLB Network Radio. "[They have] Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios, Eric Lauer, and Cody Ponce.

"They've got depth in their farm system of pitchers. Right now, you're looking at them being about as deep as any team in baseball. You can make an argument that the Blue Jays have the best rotation in the American League."

KBO League MVP Cody Ponce adds to stacked Blue Jays rotation

On Tuesday night, the Blue Jays announced that they had signed Cody Ponce to a three-year deal.

Ponce started his professional career in MLB with the Pirates in 2020. However, after subpar results, he was eventually released and made his way to Japan's NPB. He played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles but once again, struggled to find his footing.

He eventually found a home with Korean baseball's Hanwha Eagles this year, posting a 17-1 record and a 1.89 ERA that earned him the MVP award. Due to his sheer dominance and consistency, Ponce propelled the usually bottom-feeding Eagles to their first postseason appearance since 2018.

In the playoffs, Hanwha outlasted 2024 finalist Samsung Lions and booked a finals ticket against the LG Twins. Although the Eagles fell short of the championship, Ponce was responsible for their sole victory in the Korean Series, which ended 4-1 in favor of the Twins.