SF Giants should have made stronger push for standout KBO pitcher

A World Series run can really get a front office rolling. The reigning American League champion Toronto Blue Jays made another move. They went out and signed KBO standout pitcher Cody Ponce to a three-year, $30 million deal. This comes on the heels of signing Dylan Cease to a major contract.

For a SF Giants front office that is looking into more cost-efficient pitching options, this sort of contract would have fit the bill. Not to mention, it would have brought them enormous upside. 

Cody Ponce would have filled massive hole for SF Giants 

The deal is not egregious whatsoever. Ponce has pitched in the big leagues before, as he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although, he hasn’t pitched in the MLB since 2021 and since then has pitched in the Japan and then moved onto Korea to pitch in the KBO. Ponce had a tough few seasons Japan, but popped off for a career year in Korea. Even at the age of 31, he put himself back on the radar of major league front offices. 

During his 2025 season in Korea, Ponce had a 17-1 record. Furthermore, he finished with a 1.89 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and logged 180.2 innings of work. That’s the heaviest workload of his baseball career. The results speak volumes and the type of pitcher he was allowed the results to be what they are. 

Ponce was a strikeout machine, as he piled up 252 strikeouts and averaged 12.6 K/9. His 252 strikeouts are the most in a single season in KBO history. As great as the strikeouts were, the command was precise. Ponce averaged only 2 BB/9 and finished with 41 walks on the season. That’s a phenomenal season and shows Ponce is a guy who brings enormous depth to a pitching rotation. Clearly, he is a pitcher that the Giants could have used. 

The rotation isn’t in bad shape, but it needs some fine tuning. Logan Webb is going to give the team innings and quality starts. While Robbie Ray is not a bad number two, the rotation needs some more juice to it. If they aren’t going to go out and sign Tatsuya Imai, getting a quality cost-efficient pitcher is key. All the smoke is surrounding Zac Gallen, which makes perfect sense for this team. But so did Ponce. 

Being able to add a pitcher with his swing and miss ability and command is huge. The Giants were middle of the pack in terms of strikeout percentage (17th), but still a top ten staff in terms of ERA (3.84). He doesn’t have to be stapled to the front of the rotation, but is a great middle-of-the-rotation option. The Blue Jays bolstered their staff and even have a guy they can plug into their bullpen if starting doesn't work out. The Giants could have used that as it would have taken some pressure off younger arms such as Hayden Birdsong and Carson Whisenhunt. 

The front office has shown aggressiveness. They wouldn’t have taken on the entire Rafael Devers contract if they didn’t want to take the next steps and be competitive. If this team is going to compete further in the gauntlet of the National League, they need another arm and Ponce didn’t break the bank. It’s time for the team to pivot and lure a pitcher into the mix.