How Red Sox Ace Garrett Crochet Indirectly Helped Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have been the most active team in baseball...

Oct 8, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; A view of a Toronto Blue Jays hat before game four of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The American League East has been hot after pitchers this offseason so far.

The Boston Red Sox landed an All-Star themselves by acquiring Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals. That's not all, though. The Toronto Blue Jays signed veteran starting pitcher Dylan Cease and announced the deal on Tuesday. After that, they reportedly agreed to a three-year deal with one of the more intriguing free agents of the offseason: Cody Ponce.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

The 31-year-old hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2021, but was great in the KBO League in 2025. He logged a 1.89 ERA in 29 starts for the Hanwha Eagles and won the KBO League Most Valuable Player Award. While reporting the agreement on Tuesday, ESPN's Jeff Pasasn dropped an intriguing nugget that helped with his breakout in 2025. Passan noted that Ponce worked with Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet and New York Mets hurler Clay Holmes last offseason where he developed a changeup with big movement, which fits what Toronto likes.

The Red Sox ace worked with Cody Ponce last offseason

"Toronto pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to the precipice in the World Series on the strength of pitches similar to Ponce's changeup, which has a movement profile similar to the split-fingered fastballs of (Kevin Gausman) and (Trey Yesavage). Ponce picked up the pitch over the winter when working out with Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet and New York Mets right-hander Clay Holmes -- with whom he played in Pittsburgh -- and tinkered with a proper grip that best fit his unusually large hands.

"Ponce had spent the previous three seasons in Japan, posting a 4.54 ERA for Nippon Ham and Rakuten over 202 innings. He found his greatest success in Korea, which has been the springboard for Fedde and Merrill Kelly to return to MLB."

In 2024, Ponce had a 4.61 ERA for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Nippon Professional Baseball across 26 starts. Then, he tinkers with Crochet and Holmes, joins the Eagles, and completely turns his professional baseball career around. Now, the Blue Jays get this version of Ponce after a massive season in the KBO League.

There is surely more to Ponce's 2025 success than just working on a new pitch with Crochet, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

More MLB: New Red Sox Report Good News For Alex Bregman Fans