CBL's Guelph Royals sign Deska

The Canadian Baseball League’s Guelph Royals have signed veteran right-hander Marek Deska (Toronto, Ont.). Photo: Guelph Royals

January 27, 2026

Official Guelph Royals News Release

GUELPH, ONT. - The Guelph Royals are excited to announce the signing of pitcher Marek Deska for the 2026 season.

Deska, 40, signs with the Royals after spending the first 17 seasons of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The right-hander, who still pitches for the Polish National Team, had a 4.73 ERA in 13 1/3 innings in 2025, before throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings in the playoffs.

Deska is looking forward to a fresh start.

"I'm beyond excited to be joining such a great organization. The leadership in Guelph is topnotch and I'm looking forward to helping our team win a championship."

Royals assistant general manager Ryan Eakin looks forward to the experience Deska will add to the team's pitching staff.

"From a pure baseball perspective, bringing in Marek makes a lot of sense for us, as he remains a strike thrower who can eat innings. But what excites me post is adding his experience and professionalism to our staff. Our clubhouse just got so much stronger with this signing. The second I saw Toronto released him, I knew we had to jump on signing him."