Giants reportedly were ‘involved’ in contract talks for starter Cody Ponce originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Another notable starting pitching option is off the market for the Giants in MLB free agency.
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Right-hander Cody Ponce, who has spent the last four years playing overseas and won the 2025 KBO MVP, reportedly has agreed to a three-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays worth $30 million.
San Francisco reportedly was “involved” in talks for Ponce, but his price tag ended up being too steep, The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly reported Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Ponce has 20 games of MLB experience, pitching to a 5.86 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020 and 2021 before spending the next three seasons in Japan. He then moved to the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO in 2025, when he went 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA across 29 starts en route to winning the Choi Dong-won Award — given to the league’s top starting pitcher.
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The former second-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft has Bay Area connections; he is married to 49ers tight end George Kittle’s sister Emma.
Ponce’s signing comes a day after Baggarly reported the Giants “do not anticipate” signing star Japanese righty Tatsuya Imai this offseason. The three-time NPB All-Star is expected to earn a contract worth over $100 million after being posted last month by the Saitama Seibu Lions.
The Blue Jays also already added another big-name free-agent starter, signing Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract last week.
However, even with those names off the board for San Francisco, Buster Posey and the Giants’ front office still have options in the starting pitching market — namely Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer, who both pitched for Toronto’s AL pennant-winning roster in 2025.
