The SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization announced last night they’ve agreed to terms with left-hander Shawn Morimando on a contract (h/t to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO). He’ll receive a $230K salary for the final few months of the season.
Morimando, 29, has appeared in parts of two major league seasons. He debuted with Cleveland back in 2016, making a pair of appearances for the eventual American League champions. After a few years spent in the upper minors, he returned to the big leagues for a few on-and-off stints with the Marlins last year. He made four appearances and tallied 10 1/3 innings of 11-run ball. Morimando had a better showing with Triple-A Jacksonville, posting a 4.32 ERA across 89 2/3 frames.
Outrighted off Miami’s 40-man roster at the end of last season, Morimando signed on with the CTBC Brothers of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League. Through 91 1/3 innings there, he worked to a 2.56 ERA with a solid 23.1% strikeout rate and a quality 6.8% walk percentage. That earned him a look in the KBO, where he’ll presumably receive a pay bump.
In a corresponding move, the Landers released veteran starter Iván Nova. Reports emerged last week the club was looking to move on from the right-hander, who posted a 6.50 ERA across 12 outings. Morimando and the recently-signed Juan Lagares join Wilmer Font to comprise the allotted three foreign-born players on the Landers roster, while Nova heads back to the free agent market.
