10:01PM: The Wiz have announced the deal, with Cuevas’ 2021 salary breaking down as $750K in guaranteed money and $250K in incentives. The 2022 option is also a mutual/vesting option.
5:35PM: Right-hander William Cuevas is re-signing with the KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN (Twitter link). His 2021 base salary will check in at $1MM, with additional money available via incentives. The pact also contains a 2022 player option worth $1.7MM, Rojas adds.
Cuevas has spent the past two seasons as an innings eater for the Wiz. He’s tossed 342 frames of 3.84 ERA ball over 57 starts. Along the way, the 30-year-old has amassed 6.45 K/9 against 2.87 BB/9. Cuevas’ run prevention numbers were better in 2019 than they were in 2020, although his strikeout and walk rates were fairly consistent year over year.
Prior to going to South Korea, Cuevas pitched in parts of three MLB seasons with the Red Sox and Tigers. He only managed an 8.06 ERA/5.71 FIP across 22 1/3 innings in that time. He was generally a reliable depth option in the high minors, though, posting Triple-A numbers similar to his KBO performance.
It is starting to look like it’s a level playing field with all the leagues now in the US, Korea, and Japan leagues. Foreign leagues are signing more then the majors
No. The foreign leagues are just signing the players who aren’t good enough to sign with the majors. This happens every year. The best players will all go sign with the MLB.
Yeah William Cuevas is totally on the same level as Jacob deGrom. The scrubs are heading over to foreign leagues. It’s still around a AA-AAA level of play compared to MLB
Cleveland Spiders! It’s a no-brainer.
Cleveland Steamers.
KBO is really making themselves an ideal league to find a “diamond in the rough”. Sometimes pitchers have pitched several years there and came back to MLB for 5 years before hanging up the cleats. This guy will be 31 years old next year and if all cards fall into place, a MLB team may take a flier on him. KBO is hitter friendly and his numbers aren’t horrible. Just wonder if he can keep it together in the majors next season
Doesn’t matter the opinion, the owners listened to what some people were asking for. Not a Cleveland fan, but if that was you…..time to show up and support the team.
Likely listening to non fan social justice warriors.
I love the rich history behind the team name, how the name refers to a specific peoples—oh wait, it was a 1920 media poll by people who thought Boston Braves sounded cool. 100 years ago people didn’t think about the future or how problematic naming sports teams after groups of people were, this should have happened in 1985 and still been decades late.
Better absurdly late than never, I suppose.
This is why they shouldn’t shut comments down. It simply leaks over to other threads. It’s a silly policy MLBTR has adopted.
I understand why they close comments on certain posts about injuries/personal issues for players, but I don’t really get why they would shut down comments for a team changing its name.
They are expecting racist comments
White Sox are next… maybe be the Rainbow Stockings
Can’t wait to see the Chicago Rainbow Sox uniforms. Maybe they will do something like the big stripe the Astro uniform had from way back.
KT Wiz need to change their name.
How about the Cleveland Rock & Roll
Not enough strikeouts and too many walks to be interesting for an MLB team.
Yeah I think I tend to agree with you… the KBO might be the best place for him. Glad he has found success there — but as far as guys coming back to the US after sustained success abroad… I don’t think Cuevas really fits that mold. Though who knows I could be wrong… if he steps it up a little bit this upcoming season — maybe he could wind up stateside in a relief capacity (if that’s what he wants to do) — obviously the guys a hard worker who has put in more than his share of time in the minors. Glad to see him finding success — both on the field and financially… best of luck to him.
Cuevas will make more money and have a longer career in Korea. There is no way he makes $1 million in the USA. He is a AAA emergency depth pitcher.
It is fantastic that guys with his level of talent can do so well in Korea!
KT Wiz have announced that Cuevas’ base salary for 2021 will be just $750k(plus $250K in incentives), and 2022 option is a vesting option, not a player option(sum’s not disclosed). Can anyone confirm which information is correct?
they’re going to stumble into a playoff spot with it too
With expanded playoff perhaps, Cleveland is done for 5 more years again
Good for him that he’s found success in the KBO… the guy obviously put in his fair share of time in the minors toiling away for years in the Red Sox minor league system. It’s good to see a guy who spent so long in the minors working away at his craft find success, even if it is in Korea and not in the MLB as I’m sure he had initially imagined. And who knows… maybe he’ll be one of those guys who winds up parlaying his KBO success into some form of a comeback in the US in a year or two. Though to be honest… he looks like he may just be better suited to stay in the KBO. He was quite effective in the minors in the US but hasn’t exactly dominated the KBO (like some others have) — so maybe the KBO is the best spot for him — though who knows… maybe he will wind up stateside again even as a reliever or something as he is still young enough that he could come back in a year or two and give it another shot in the US.
Nobody beats the Wiz when it comes to pouncing on free agents
Nice job censoring the comments! Glad to know we aren’t allowed to have an opinion that doesn’t align with the narrative.