Outfielder Justin Maxwell has been released by the Red Sox to allow him to sign with Korea’s Lotte Giants, as Yonhap’s Jee-ho Yoo reports. He’ll receive a $280K salary in the KBO.
Maxwell, 32, was hitting .219/.310/.320 over 253 plate appearances on the year at Triple-A Pawtucket. That wasn’t enough to earn him a big league promotion despite some need at the major league level, and Boston obviously had decided it did not need him in the organization.
Before his middling start to the present season, though, Maxwell had taken over 250 turns at bat in three of the last four campaigns at the MLB level. All told, he has compiled a .220/.303/.399 batting line in 1,193 big league plate appearances, with 41 home runs and 28 steals.
At his best, Maxwell is a slightly above-average hitter with some pop, and he has also added some value with the glove and on the bases. Maxwell’s new club will certainly hope that he brings a silver hammer with him to the hitter-friendly KBO.
Notably, per the report, Maxwell was pursued because former big leaguer Jim Adduci was released after failing some sort of drug test.
The one-year deal by Justin Maxwell also includes performance incentives, he will join the team some time next week… Jim Adduci tested Oxycodone, a banned substance from South Korea which resulted him having a 36 game ban conducted by the South Korean anti-doping committee, and was eventually released by the Lotte Giants team.
Nice Beatles reference you snuck in there.
Not particularly clever, but I couldn’t help it.
Help! Darn, could’ve worked in another, more subtle one.
We need a Silver hammer pitcher or two
When are we going to get some arms…… Boston won’t be going anywhere if we don’t improve our pitching….
Some sort of drug test?? Apparently he took oxycotin as pain killer and apparently it’s no no so