Rich get richer as AL powerhouse steals White Sox ideal KBO target

It’s been a busy week across Major League Baseball as players, coaches, and executives get set to converge on Orlando, Florida this weekend for the 2025 Winter Meetings. While next week will be the busiest week of the offseason for free agent and trade activity, the festivities have gotten started early, and a few interesting names are starting to come off the board. One such example is a reported three-year deal between right-hander Cody Ponce and the Toronto Blue Jays. Ponce had been speculated for the White Sox as a possible target for a few weeks, but instead the already-loaded Blue Jays will get even richer. 

Ponce, 31, put together a remarkable season in the KBO in 2025 after struggling in his first big league stint. He took home the MVP and Cy Young awards in Korea and looked to cash in on his success with another chance in the Major Leagues. Some speculated he could land a similar deal to RHP Erick Fedde, who the White Sox signed out of the KBO in 2024, but the most recent update this week indicated he’d likely get more in both years and money. This report was the writing on the wall for the White Sox, who I didn’t feel were likely to go for a third year with that kind of financial commitment. My hunch turned out to be correct, and the defending AL-champs will land Ponce on a three-year, $30 million deal. The Blue Jays have already signed former White Sox ace Dylan Cease to a seven-year deal, so Ponce will be their second significant addition to a rotation already featuring Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Jose Berrios. 

The White Sox, meanwhile, pivoted almost immediately to a similar story in left-hander Anthony Kay. The team has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $12 million contract with Kay, who has spent the past two seasons in Japan hoping to revive his career. The 31 year-old Kay had an ERA under 2.00 in a full season last year with Yokohama, and now he’ll join the White Sox rotation looking to establish himself as a big league starting pitcher. 

The market for KBO and NPB pitchers is becoming more competitive

The recent success of pitchers like Erick Fedde and Merrill Kelly, who have gone overseas and revived their careers, have started a trend that now will favor big market teams. It used to be a sneaky savvy strategy to bring pitchers from Japan and Korea who have bounced back, but Ponce’s $30 million guarantee may be the start of making the market more competitive and pricing out the small-market teams. MLB has yet to find a way to make free agency an even playing field, and the most recent KBO signing won’t be a step in the right direction. 

The White Sox could’ve easily afforded $10 million per season for Ponce, but it’s been awhile since owner Jerry Reinsdorf behaved like a big market owner. With free agency restrictions like a salary cap highly unlikely to take effect, the teams that are more liberal with their spending will continue to dominate the deadlines. As long as the big market teams keep flexing their muscles, the rich will continue to get richer.