As MLB fans wait for free agency to pick up stateside, former big leaguers continue to hammer out deals with teams in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization. We’ll track the latest KBO and NPB re-signings here:
- The Kia Tigers have re-signed outfielder Preston Tucker to a one-year deal worth $1.05MM guaranteed, tweets Jee-ho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. It’s a $200K raise for Tucker, who has appeared in parts of three MLB seasons, after he gave the Tigers an outstanding .306/.398/.557 slash and 32 home runs in his second season there in 2020. Yoo adds that Tucker has been getting some offseason work in at first base, which could allow the Tigers to use him at multiple positions next year. Tucker is still just 30 years old, so if he continues to mash in the KBO, a return bid to the Majors remains possible. For now, he’ll receive the first seven-figure salary of his career.
- Yoo also tweets that righty David Buchanan has re-upped with the Samsung Lions for a $1MM guarantee and up to $500K worth of performance incentives. Buchanan, 31, had a solid three-year run in Japan before moving to the KBO for the first time in 2020. The former Phillies right-hander gave the Lions 27 starts and 174 2/3 innings of 3.45 ERA ball with averages of 6.2 strikeouts, 2.6 walks and 0.8 home runs allowed per nine innings pitched. Buchanan never found his footing in the big leagues, but with this latest contract he’ll have topped $5MM in earnings between NPB and the KBO. And as we’ve seen numerous times in recent offseasons, consistent success in Japan and/or South Korea can always serve as a gateway back to the Majors.
It just makes you think… with guys like Mel Rojas Jr. who were putting up gaudy numbers for many years in the KBO not getting an offer for a starting job in the MLB at a fair-market price… how in the heck did Eric Thames (Eric Thames!) get $16 MILLION?
It boggles the mind.
That’s….not a lot of money in MLB. Thames was a beast with regular playing time in the KBO and wasn’t entirely terrible in MLB before he left in the first place, nor is he terrible now (talk about victims of the short season, Thames is right there). Rojas Jr and Thames are not even close to being comps.
Your mind will be less boggled if you compare an MLB contract offered (and not offered) in context, not in a vacuum.
Side note: Boggle is a great game.
Not sure what your point is regarding Thames, who had a 118 OPS+ his three years back in MLB. That’s good. His three years prior in the KBO, his aggregate slugging was over .700.
Seeing as Thames was a much, MUCH better hitter than Rojas in the KBO and for longer, it shouldn’t blow your mind. It does make me wonder if you looked at their stats before you compared them though.
Two less “targets” for the Jays…300 free agents to go! Sportsnet.ca(the ultimate Blur Jays prop up machine) has a story posted late last night the Jays are about to potentially close a deal with a position player they’ve been chasing…Springer?
In other years, it was Seattle who was always going to be the team who signs and trades for everyone, now we don’t hear peep from them!
Don’t wake DiPoto! He’ll start making a trade every day
With the good numbers Tucker put up last year I was hoping the Astros might give him a shot since they need 2 OF.
The Jays are like a recent divorcee, they now have walking around money in their pockets and no way they wanna be tied down again, so they’re rumored to be interested everyone
Good for them. Played against Josh back in the day… he was good but not mlb good. Overseas makes sense