As November turns to December, the weather is cooling down, but the MLB hot stove is only heating up. With just one week before the peak of offseason activity at the Winter Meetings, the markets for many free agents are beginning to take shape. In an update Monday from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo, information surfaced about the market of starting pitcher Cody Ponce that may make him no longer a viable option for the White Sox.
While original speculation had Ponce landing a similar deal to Erick Fedde’s two-year, $15 million contract with the White Sox in 2024, the expectation now is that Ponce will get significantly more than that. Rosenthal’s estimate was a three-year deal worth $30-40 million for Ponce, who will be making his return to the Major Leagues after an incredible 2025 season in the KBO.
The 31 year-old Ponce headed overseas in 2022 after struggling at the big league level for parts of two seasons. Since his time away, he’s added two miles per hour to his average fastball velocity, which also helps his off-speed pitches be more effective. Ponce has added a new splitter that has become a real put-away pitch. His new arsenal led to a 17-1 record with a 1.89 ERA for the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO in 2025. Ponce won the Korean equivalent to the Cy Young and MVP awards. His 252 strikeouts set a KBO record for the most in a single season, and it’s easy to see why MLB teams are interested in his return.
Cody Ponce may get more money than the White Sox are willing to spend
The White Sox made a similar move in 2024 when the team signed Erick Fedde out of the KBO after a revamped arsenal led to an award-winning season for him. The White Sox got a nice deal for Fedde, who they flipped at the trade deadline for a package including Miguel Vargas and infield prospect Jeral Perez. Speculation has circulated this offseason that the White Sox could pursue Ponce, signing him to a similar deal as Fedde and hoping for similar results. It’s hard to see the team committing to three years and more than doubling their deal for Fedde, however, so Ponce may no longer be an option. If the White Sox are looking for a veteran to eat innings, there are more proven commodities available for less money, and if they’re looking for a trade chip, there are cheaper options. Erick Fedde’s two-year deal is currently the only multi-year deal the White Sox have signed under GM Chris Getz, and they’re unlikely to give a longer term commitment to a pitcher that hasn’t thrown an MLB pitch since 2021.
Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo speculate a 3-year deal worth $30-40 million for KBO MVP Cody Ponce. If true, I'd be very surprised if the White Sox have any serious interest https://t.co/ouRmPRVo02
— Noah Phalen (@Noahp245) December 1, 2025
Cody Ponce will land a well-deserved contract to return to MLB this season, but it likely won’t be with the White Sox. Even if they don’t pursue Ponce, the White Sox have a definite need in the starting rotation, and there are plenty of other options still available at this stage. Whichever rotation moves they make may not be incredibly exciting, but they'll be important acquisitions to help support a young rotation.