Blue Jays paid record $30M for KBO MVP Cody Ponce, but is one dominant season enough to justify the richest returnee deal ever?

Dylan Cease will wear No. 84 with the Toronto Blue Jays, making him the first player in franchise history to do so.

The Blue Jays, already with one of the best rotations in baseball, just flexed their muscle again. They’ve agreed to terms with right-hander Cody Ponce on a three-year, $30 million deal, a source confirms to MLB.

The Jays entered the winter looking for a top starter and a back-end option and addressed both holes, if not surpassing expectations.

And the Blue Jays have a good enough prospect system to at least do that, even without moving their top-tier guys.

T he Toronto Blue Jays have already made the biggest free agent splash of the offseason thus far, acquiring ace pitcher Dylan Cease on a seven-year deal. This move indicates that

With news that the division-rival Baltimore Orioles agreed to terms with two-time All-Star flamethrower Ryan Helsley over the weekend, the Blue Jays were closely linked on Monday to former Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks by insiders Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic.

The 2025 season was Fairbanks’ strongest in that role as he finished with a career-best 27 saves while pitching to a 2.83 ERA over 60 innings. The generally lower-budget Rays set him free after declining an $11-million US player option following the 2025 campaign.