Right-hander Glenn Sparkman has agreed to sign with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization, according to Naver Sports (hat tip to reporter Sung Min Kim). The deal will be official once Sparkman passes a physical.
This is the second straight year that Sparkman has signed with an international team. He inked a deal with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball last June, but posted only a 6.88 ERA over 17 innings. Before heading to Japan, Sparkman had signed a minor league deal with the Twins, but didn’t see any time on the active roster before being released last May.
A veteran of four Major League seasons, Sparkman posted a 5.99 ERA with the Blue Jays and Royals from 2017-2020, tossing all but one of his 180 1/3 career MLB frames in a Kansas City uniform. Despite an underwhelming ERA and strikeout totals as a big leaguer, Sparkman has been much more solid in the minors, with a 2.88 ERA and a 22.85 K% over 378 2/3 frames, though most of his bigger strikeout rates came prior to his 2015 Tommy John surgery.
With numbers suggesting a “Quad-A” type of career arc to date, Sparkman has a chance to re-invent himself in the KBO, and at least bank some guaranteed salary at a time when many free agents in a similar position are waiting out the lockout. Sparkman doesn’t turn 30 until May, so a solid performance with the Giants could open some new doors for a return to MLB next winter, or perhaps more lucrative opportunities pitching in South Korea or Japan.
The players are all leaving! The beginning of Minor league system corruption is here!
NPB and KBO have limits to how many foreign born players can be on the teams. Only so many guys can sign these contracts; won’t effect the minor leagues much if any at all.
MISSED IT BY THAT [ = ] MUCH !!
According to informed sources, The Marlins were in on Glenn Sparkman right up until he signed the deal to join the Giants.. The Marlins made a “strong” offer, but not one that matched the Giants’ financial commitment. The Marlins weren’t the only team to be outbid.
The Minnesota Twins had also been linked to Sparkman.
Why are you the way you are?
Because BOTH those cheap-ass teams brag about “being in on free agents” when in fact the entire planet knows that they are merely putting that out there to continue to bamboozle the public into believing that the teams have a sincere interest in being competitive when in fact both organizations are only interested in turning a profit.
A business is designed to make profits. It’s not greed it’s economics. Some owners though are greedy but not signing top tier FAs doesn’t show that
@nen. Relax it’s Glenn Sparkman he has a career era of 5.99 over 180 MLB innings. No MLB GM is losing a wink of sleep over this. Smart move for Sparkman taking the money which is probably massively more than he would have got on a minor league deal here in the USA.
tstats –
The great majority of the owners of professional sports teams have multiple business interests and a war chest of financial resources built off of the profits earned off of those other enterprises. Otherwise they would not have the sufficient financial resources REQUIRED by their respective professional sports leagues to be APPROVED to own their team in the first place. The reasons they own sports franchises is as: a hobby, civic pride, ego, power, bragging rights among their deep pocketed friends, building or continuing an esprit de corps attitude among fans and the population for the continued financial support of their other profit generating enterprises and, of course, a tax write-off against the profits from their other businesses. Those professional sports franchises that constantly and consistently scream “POVERTY” are in addition to the above reasons are just trying to squeeze every last nickle out of the populous without people realizing that they are being manipulated by someone who is proving to himself that he is smarter than them. If teams/owners are so darn financially strapped, let’s see their books !!
But that doesn’t remove the fact that a team is a business. When a multifaceted company has a division failing they tend to shut it down, not pump it full of cash. They sell so someone else can work on the team. Cohen hasn’t done this so we don’t say he cries poor. The owners not spending a lot are not spending a lot because their profit margins aren’t great.
All this because the Twins lost out on Sparky? Hair trigger much?
nentwigs13 hours ago
Because BOTH those cheap-ass teams brag about “being in on free agents
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Are you stoned? No one is bragging about being in on Sparkman.
trying to squeeze every last nickle out of the populous without people realizing that they are being manipulated
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1-Everyone realizes that the owners are trying to make money. Nobody cares. They have a budget, and spend whatever they feel like spending
2-And guess what? So does everyone else in the world. Your auto mechanic, the local bakery, the local Ferrari dealership? All trying to make money off of you. It’s called capitalism.
Do you even know what a tax write off is?
BlueJays scouting department lived this guy. Just sayin’.
*Loved* – Apple auto correct.
Care to back that up? I see no way anyone ‘loved’ this guy. I fully understand minor league depth, but no one can love a guy with a 8.18 ERA in Japan, and 5.99 in the MLB, not to mention he is almost 30.
I’d say he’s better than Enderson Franco, but not by much.
Played college ball with Sparks!! This guy has always been a hard worker and has came so far!! I know he can figure it out!!