Pitcher Cody Ponce (‘15, kinesiology), a former Broncos baseball standout, has signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays after a dominant 2025 season in the Korea Baseball Organization, where he posted a 1.89 ERA with 252 strikeouts in 180⅔ innings. Once a mid-career Major League Baseball reliever, Ponce reinvented himself overseas — adding velocity and a splitter — and now secures the largest MLB contract ever for a pitcher returning from Korea.

This article was originally published by The Athletic (The New York Times) on December 2, 2025.