The Padres announced the signing of reliever Woo-Suk Go to a two-year contract with a mutual option covering the 2026 season. He is reportedly guaranteed $4.5MM. Go will make $1.75MM this year and $2.25MM in 2025. There’s a $500K buyout on the option, which is valued at $3MM. San Diego will also owe a $900K posting fee to the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization. The Friars still have five vacancies on the 40-man roster.
The contract also contains a number of performance bonuses. Go would receive an additional $100K if he reaches 70 appearances next season. He can unlock up to $400K in bonuses for 2025 as well: $100K apiece at 40, 45, 55 and 60 games. His 2025 salary could jump by as much as $500K if he reaches 45 games finished next season. Unless the mutual option is exercised, Go will return to free agency two years from now. While he’ll still be well shy of six years of MLB service, most major league deals for players from a foreign professional league include a clause that sends the player back to free agency once the contract expires.
Go, a 25-year-old righty, has pitched parts of seven seasons in the KBO. He has worked as a pure reliever throughout that time, operating as the LG Twins closer for the past five years. After struggling during his first two seasons as a teenager, Go has been a solid bullpen arm for a half-decade.
He has rattled off four seasons with a sub-4.00 ERA, including three campaigns allowing fewer than 2.20 earned runs per nine. Go surpassed 30 saves in each of 2019, ’21 and ’22. He has fanned more than 26% of batters faced in each of the last five years, topping the 30% mark in the last two seasons.
While Go has consistently shown the ability to miss bats, he hasn’t always been around the strike zone. He has walked more than 10% of opposing hitters in four of his seven seasons. Go issued free passes to an alarming 11.6% of batters faced last year, contributing to a 3.68 ERA that made for more of a solid than exceptional platform showing.
Public scouting reports have generally pegged Go as a likely middle reliever at the big league level. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs writes that Go leans primarily on a mid-90s fastball and low-90s cutter while occasionally mixing in a curveball. That’s an intriguing arsenal, but the fringy control could make him a risk in higher-leverage spots.
The Twins made Go available via the posting system on December 4. That opened a 30-day period for him to sign with a major league club. (Unlike Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, whose posting windows last 45 days, there’s a 30-day opening for South Korean players). That was concluding this afternoon. If Go hadn’t signed with an MLB team by 4:00 pm CST, he’d have remained with the Twins for another season.
San Diego has been one of the sport’s most aggressive teams in targeting players making the jump from Asian professional leagues. They recently signed lefty Yuki Matsui to a five-year, $28MM pact as he came over from NPB. San Diego has added Ha-Seong Kim from the KBO and the likes of Nick Martinez and Robert Suarez from NPB in previous offseasons.
With Josh Hader, Martinez and Luis García hitting free agency, the Padres have Matsui and Suarez as their top two leverage relievers. Go joins that mix alongside righty Enyel De Los Santos, whom San Diego acquired from the Guardians in exchange for Scott Barlow this winter. Go is reportedly in the mix for the ninth inning.
Under the MLB-KBO posting agreement, the release fee is proportional to the size of the contract. For players guaranteed $25MM or less, it is calculated as 20% of the contract value. The $900K fee brings San Diego’s total outlay for Go to $5.4MM.
The deal’s $2.25MM average annual value brings San Diego’s projected luxury tax number to roughly $212MM, according to Roster Resource. That’s $25MM shy of next year’s lowest threshold. Their actual payroll sits in the $156MM range. Even in an offseason defined by budgetary limitations, adding Go shouldn’t have much of an impact on San Diego’s ability to continue bolstering the roster. The Padres still need one or two outfield acquisitions and would benefit from a back-of-the-rotation starter.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported that Go and the Padres were nearing an agreement. The Post’s Joel Sherman reported the sides had agreed to a two-year, $4.5MM guarantee. Dennis Lin of The Athletic was first to report the 2026 mutual option and the specific salary breakdown. The Associated Press reported the bonuses and escalators.
Imagine the Padres actually doing good with a good team, crazy thought!
That would be great, playing to their expectations
I think their expectations are far lower with key players traded. I think that’s going to bite them this year. Last year they had the team, they were just unlucky in those extra inning losses.
Padres traded Soto
Likely ti lose Hader and Snell
Padres win the NL West by 8 games
Dodgers barely get in with game 163. Hahaha
I think that game 163s are no more.
What if there’s 2 teams tied at season end and their each won the same amount of games against each other?
You’re probably right though with 2 WC teams now.
They have several tie breaking scenarios, like the NFL.
Hey Padres Fans great news! Hearing the Rays need a shortstop. Wander is no longer wandering, he has been caught and found.
Maybe SD can trade Cronenworth to TB.
Cronenworth came from TB to the Padres.
Full circle and whatnot
Rays ain’t taking the Bogaerts contract and it’s doubtful the Pads trade Kim.
Jake Cronenworth is pretty good at shortstop.
Didn’t know much about him. Rays could take him but how does that help the Padres?
With so many infielders, Cronenworth was pushed to 1b, when he really should be playing either SS or 2b. Cronenworth really underperformed last season, perhaps he was trying to hit homers like a 1b, which isn’t his style. He did get a lot better in the second half before getting hurt.
Cronenworth is signed to a 7 year, $80mm deal for ages 30-36.
That is a weirdly long, but not that expensive contract for a guy who really should be playing the middle infield.
Padres always seemed to have logjam everywhere, which was a recurring problem last year
Sure it was a recurring problem last year as the crowded infield existed all season long.
SD was at times quite thin in the OF and the rotation.
Padres need a LF?
AirY0rdan:
“Imagine the Padres actually doing good with a good team”.
It’s like no one even remembers all the way back to 2022 when they made the NLCS…and the NLDS just 2 years before that.
No they didn’t win the WS…but they got further than 27 other teams.
But the division will be different this year and key pitchers are gone.
That’s peanuts. If he’s any good at all, this is an absolute steal. I’m rooting for him!
Agreed, that’s a no brianer contract. Definitely a win for the Padres
Yeq i agree to even if he isnt a closer its a good deal for a reliever. I always think that cuz they pitch different in the asian leagues and usually throw forkballs and other pitches that are more rare in the bigs that they have a real chance at sucess
25% the cost of Emilio Pagan… kinda nuts. Good bet Go is better too!
Both of them for less than Pagan.
I don’t even know if he has to be replacement level to justify that contract. But it would be extremely cool to see him come here and be something special.
This guy might not even make the AAA roster. He can barely get people out in the KBO. Nothing to get excited about here.
At that salary I’m sure you’re right, but I’m rooting for him anyway.
Ejemp, he’s struck out 30% of KBO hitters over the past 4 years… no one strikes out that percentage of players and at the same time is barely able to get people out. That is 200 K’s per 670 PA’s.
I watched him pitch and he was a cardiac arrest reliever. You’re cherry picking his hopeful SO stats. Please look at his whip, consistently over 1.25, that tells a more accurate story. He strikes out all the terrible guys in the KBO and all the decent to good guys are able to make solid contact on him or work him for a walk. I’m not backing down from my comment.
You are trolling, right? 2.32 ERA the last 3 seasons. Struck out nearly 12 per 9 IP. Averages 95 mph and can hit 98. Great spin rates. Will be starting his age 25 season in 2024. SUPER cheap. That is what guys in their first year of arbitration make or less.
It is the KBO so reason to be cautious, but he is about as good as they get in that league. He won’t be as good in the majors, but a low to mid 3s ERA and 10K/9 is not too much to expect.
Sure wish that Minasian had gone after this kid for that kind of money. The Angels pen is in a heap of hurt. Nearly a 5 ERA last season. Lost one of the best off that staff.
LOL for some reason this signing for two years at $4.5 mill reminds me of Jerry Dipoto signing power reliever Juan Nicasio for two years at $17 mill in 2018. Just a reminder about how badly reliever contracts can go bad and that prices for relievers must have been nutso in 2018.
I am with you, wish the guy well, and goodluck to any team that hits pay dirt.
Club Option for the 3rd year, right?
Considering the super cheap price, why not lol
I’m surprised there weren’t any other teams bidding for him, the dollars on this deal are chump change for MLB teams…
Yeah but he wouldn’t take the deferrals.
It’s true, teams like the Dodgers who are already overwhelmed with salary looking for a bettter option in the ‘pen or the Red Sox looking to trade Jansen.
That’s all it took?
WHAT A STEAL!
Yeah, pretty crazy steal
Surprising move here, question now is where is Hader going.
Certainly not the 8th inning. He cries if he’s asked to pitch in more than one inning.
Dude is talented, but he’s no gamer. I feel bad for whoever gives him that 6yr/110 deal.
Remember how he couldn’t throw strikes until Neibla worked with him for 6 weeks? Remember how his ERA was over 7 in like July?
Hader is a long term liability, his entire focus has been the big contract, and he’ll coast when he gets it.
He has the word suck in his name – don’t get your hopes up too high. Not like the padres are only mlb team scouting asian players
Padres fan mid season: “You suck!”
Go: “No. Woo Suk.”
You know it’s going to happen.
2 weeks in St Lucia and I return to Woo Suk Go?
2 weeks? I’m thinking you don’t get to complain for at least 2 months! Hope you had a great rest.
I’ll take “Things that didn’t happen” for $500 Alex.
newportinstitute.com/resources/co-occurring-disord…
You also sat next to Dan Lozano on a plane and next to AJ Preller and Scott Boras at some restaurant and used to work as a MLB scout and are working with the company building the tailgate park outside PETCO and have a realtor sister who sold Freddy Galvis a house in SD and are family friends with Frank Lopez-Balboa right?
He also lives down the street from Gerrit Cole in Greenwich CT & never fails to hear rumors every year at the winter meetings!
I have never said I worked as a scout. I am definitely not working on building anything. Not my field.
You need to lay off the juice Ryan.
Did you ever find that link to Luis Campusano’s marijuana charges being reduced to a misdemeanor in January 2021 or LH re-filing her lawsuit against Trevor Bauer because he violated the terms of the settlement (even though both lawsuits were dismissed *with prejudice* which means they legally can’t be re-filed) or to Manny Machado saying he absolutely wouldn’t have signed with the Padres if they hadn’t signed Eric Hosmer first?
Goodbye Ryan. There is a reason I had you muted. You are delusional.
Hiding behind the mute button isn’t an answer.
So how long have you been in treatment there?
In your case, projection is a real thing. How long until outinleftfield, BaseballisLife, websoulsurfer, Koamalu, PLTuna, YourDaddy and The Padfather show up on this thread?
How long have you been in ABA?
It was freaking awesome. If you ever want to splurge on an all inclusive paradise, get you and your wife/husband/partner a stay at East Winds. HIGHLY recommend it
eastwinds.com/
Thanks for the link. We have done DR and Barbados all inclusive which were both cool.
Our daughter is in her senior year at college and was staying in Bay Area for the holiday and we have our 40th anniversary coming up so we decided WTH, lets go all in. Unplug and really get pampered. It was well worth if.
Where did you stay in DR? We thought of going to Punta Cana. Some incredible resorts there.
Guess I should get back on topic. What baseball facilities are nearest the resort you stayed at in DR?
I think it was Elegance.
That I don’t know. We were there about 8 years ago so probably less than now. We didn’t venture out much.
Sorry – Majestic Colonial.
Will look like a midget on the mound. The money is small too. Might work out. I guess they paid him by the pound. Guess that’s why Lynn got so much.
The Majestic Elegance. We thought about that, they had a room with an outdoor jacuzzi. But they were booked for some of the days we wanted.
One of the beauties of all inclusive. Unless you want to go shopping or sailing or something like that, you don’t even have to leave the resort.
Pedro, Maddux, and Billy Wagner all looked small on the mound too I guess.
That looks amazing. So many beautiful places on this planet.
If you go back to St Lucia, try Serenity at Coconut Bay.
Pretty good price too. I have to assume you’re pleased with this signing.
Low price high upside guy for a position of need but yet unknown at MLB so, happy for what it is. If he performs well as 6 or 7th inning guy, oh yeah put me down as real happy. If he fails, low risk / took a shot so I won’t be unhappy.
Matsui and Go for half the price of Hader and about the same price as Martinez. Yeah, I am happy with Preller’s moves on relievers.
Far from done. Still need two starting pitchers and at least one OF. 6 weeks til pitchers and catchers report, so lots of time.
And a DH / 1b – thinking Cooper for this job.
I like it. Machado will start the season at DH, so Kim at 3B, Bogaerts at SS, Cronenworth at 2B, and Cooper at 1B.
Cooper isn’t a Padre anymore, is he?
Edit. His Wikipedia says he’s a free agent and his BBRef says he has 6 years of service time which checks out with him being a free agent. Probably won’t be priced out of SD’s range but technically not a Padre right now.
“Thinking Cooper” – in other words, he is a good get for that job. You are correct – a FA and shouldn’t be priced out of their range and I’ll add, he should be comfortable in that dugout.
You’re gonna get Jackson Profile and you’re gonna like it!
Might get him, seriously that is a viable scenario, but I won’t like him over Cooper. I wouldn’t really mind him at about 3 mil + incentives because he is a good clubhouse guy and they need a LF / 4th OFer anyway. Switching bench bat.
Just don’t go back to that 7/mil AAV stuff because he isn’t worth it.
3 – I can see it. Still want Cooper too though.
The padres have lots of needs & if they’re trying to stay under $25MM AAV—Good luck to them. They’ll have to start trading.
2 OF’s + a 1B & at least 1 SP won’t come under $25MM in FA unless theyre really aiming on the low end.
Not the same price as Martinez. He got 13m aav, these two got 5.5 and 2.75m, that’s a lot less the. 13m.
Still room left in the math to add Cooper to fill that spot and have a little left over. NM would have been nice to have but these 2 RP’s and a DH/1b LH bench bat fills 3 spots for that money – I’m good with that.
$4.5M for 2 years is a far cry from the “over $9M for 2 years” reported earlier today. Very nice signing. Preller & Co. still need to bring in some Ofers and another starter or 2, but they are doing a nice job so far with the apparent money constraints.
I’m curious to see how much the signings will actually help because the Padres have a reputation of just straight out playing bad with a good team…
Yup. In 2022 they played badly all the way to within a couple outs of a WS appearance.
You went into game 5 at 3-1 down so you were more than a couple of outs away.
Your revisionist history meter is off. lol
They lost the series 4-1, so more than a couple outs.
Guessing that they heard $4.5MM on a two year deal and decided that meant $9MM for two years.
I wonder what happened to the $9 Million from yesterday’s report.
Excellent, way to go Padres
If you’re wondering which of the two will close, follow the money. The more expensive reliever—Matsui—will get first shot to close. That said, there are additional financial incentives the more games Matsui finishes, so the Padres could eventually try So there too. Depends on if So has similar clauses in his contract.
Suarez makes the most money of the 3 potential closers on the Padres. If his time with the Cardinals is any indication, Shildt will use several players to close out games. Its also a really nice position to be in with 3 guys that have experience closing games.
And potentially guys that are willing to work more that 1 inning
/Hader
As things stand right now, Suarez will likely get first shot at closing, with Matsui in the running. Go isn’t going to close, not with that walk rate.
Go is a lotto ticket type signing in my opinion. Like the A’s taking a flier on Fuji. Nowhere near the 9th inning initially but if you hit a HR—maybe later on.
Exactly, Go isn’t closing, he isn’t a 7th or 8th inning guy either. Santos, Wilson, cosgrove are all well ahead of Go. Go is a middle relief guy until he proves other wise. Matsui might fall in that category as well. At least to start and by the time preseason is done they should have a clue where everyone will slot to begin with.
So you are saying the Padres have 5 relievers that are as good as anyone other than Estevez on the Angels?
Will he SUK at GO ??
That game is so easy to learn and incredibly hard to master.
Grow up.
It’s less offensive than the other jokes I’ve seen people make about the dude’s name.
I believe that GO is a Chinese game, not South Korean
They are now the favorites in the NL West!
Wow! Great to see the Padres getting some RPs for a reasonable amount. It will be interesting to see what the plan is for CF, LF, veteran SP (hopefully Ryu), and 1B.
1 penny a year, $4,499,999.98 deferred.
Deferred until the expansion of the sun.
Keep seeing comments about Matsui closing… but the CL job is going to Robert Suarez if there’s anyone that’s CL1 (which the Athletic’s SD writer stated yesterday as well). May not be the guy every night, but for the time being Matsui likely filters in as the primary setup man, with Go and others in relief ahead of that.
Got a sneaking suspicion the Padres’ bullpen is elite in 2024. If a couple of these dudes they got from the Yankees for Soto work out then 2024 will probably look a lot like 2014. Great pitching with no hitting.
dark times, better left in the past
No chance this years team hits worse than 2014, an offense led (literally) by Seth Smith and Cory Spangenberg.
But I lack your confidence in potential for great or elite pitching, the entire pitching staff is replete with question marks, with health and experience concerns. Hopefully they add a proven SP or 2.
Bullpen is looking to be elite. I’m a bit worried about the rotation but if Darvish and Musgrove bounce back and any of the dudes they got from the Yankees work out they should be fine. I know, if my aunt had balls and all that.
As for the 2014 offense, don’t forget Alexi Amarista!
Yeah no hitting with guys like…Tatis, Xander, machado, Kim, Campusano….cronenworth can easily bounce back. There aren’t 10 lineups in the league they should be as good as the padres right now and that’s with 3 holes.
Padres offense will be just fine. It’s the starting pitching that still concerns me.
They had all those dudes last year and just lost their best hitter.
That doesn’t mean they are bad and last year their offense wasn’t bad either. Just had a bad half at hitting with runners in scoring position. This offense will be way better than 2014 and only a fool would say other wise.
I wonder how long this comment section will last….
For the hell of it I would love to have Ric Flair announce this guys name over to public address system
Why are the Dodgers getting Japanese players and Padres getting Koreans? WW3?
yes
Umm… Yuki Matsui is Japanese.
Since Woo-Suk signed this deal he passes Go and collects $200.
It would be funny if they made 200 his number. Those jerseys would sell like hotcakes!
Go and have a better year than Yoshinobu!!!!
Kinda hard to compare a KBO closer to an NPB starter but go right ahead
But if you had to compare them, Yamamoto’s stats are “truly amazing”, and Go’s are just “good”. Means nothing until you play MLB games, but I would bet even money that Yamamoto will win 14 or more games in 2024 and be in top 5 for Rookie of the Year. (That being said, I have a certain reluctance to allow rookie of the year votes for older players from foreign leagues, but in Yamamoto’s case, he is still younger)
Do they have Kim & Go in SoCal? He might have at least one advertising deal right off the bat.
Anything other than signings, trades or actual roster moves shouldn’t be posted on MLB trade rumors. Wander Franco’s legal troubles have no business being on this site especially if comments are turned off.
He’s a (former?) MLB player who was a pretty big name facing some pretty big legal problems. Many people are interested in the yes, baseball-related story. I have found though that you can just scroll right past and not click on those articles though if they don’t interest you.
You should try that sometime instead of trying to dictate what everyone else should have access to
The status of his troubles impacts whether he will play in 2024, 2025 or never again. That is news-worthy. It also influences the team payroll if he is suspended with pay versus without pay. News can be both salacious and relevant.
Thought the Cards were interested. Guess not. Maybe he wanted the west coast.
Can’t wait to see the Padre ladies donning the new “Suk Go” jerseys at the Spring Training facilities.
Afraid the Madres (generally) have too much class for you.
Longenhagen blew it again. Go has a wipeout slider and he didn’t even mentioned it.
Chris Young better either be in a coma or fired. The reigning WS Champs could have probably had him for 2/4 MM due to them winning the WS just months ago. And yet, he wastes 11 million in AAV for an injured starter not named Kershaw or Woodruff???
“Comments closed due to graphic language”
Farhan Zaidi: “Wait, we can still sign guys??”
Farhan doesn’t want to sign guys though.
What happened??
SPRING TRAINING RIGHT AROUND
THE CORNER FOR WOO SUK GO WITH
2 NEW FRONT OFFICE EMPLOYEES
WILLIE MAKEIT AND
BETTY DONT
Anybody else remember Go-go Gophers? Actually I don’t remember it except for the theme song. Maybe they should play that when he comes in from the bullpen.
Jokes!
His sister Licky also plays ball.
She sounds nice
The San Diego Padres. LOL!
KBO = A/AA
JPN= AAA
It shows that even SD does not trust what he can do, but I guess they are reeling from their spending ways.
Kudos to the Padres for figuring out a way to Suk even more than last season.
That name could very well be his undoing. Think of the headline possibilities.