The Astros, Brewers, Orioles, Twins, and Yankees are among the teams that have shown interest in free agent southpaw Kyle Hart, according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Katie Woo. Earlier this month, FanSided’s Robert Murray indicated that a whopping 18 teams had at least checked in on Hart’s services as he looks to return to North American baseball after a tremendous year with the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Organization.
Hart posted a 2.69 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, and six percent walk rate over 157 innings and 26 starts with the Dinos, winning the Dong-won Choi Award (the KBO League’s answer to the Cy Young Award). Hart’s best pitch is his slider, but according to Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, Hart used that slider less as a primary offering and more as a chase pitch to put batters away. Longenhagen isn’t sure how Hart’s arsenal of this plus slider but only a 90mph fastball and an okay changeup will translate back in the big leagues, and thus Hart is projected as a fifth or sixth starter even if Fangraphs ranked him 48th on their list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents.
A somewhat limited repertoire might be less of an issue if Hart is working out of the bullpen, of course, and Sammon and Woo note that some interested MLB teams have considered Hart as a multi-inning reliever. Whether working as a starter, long reliever, or perhaps both in a swingman role, there’s plenty of upside if the 32-year-old Hart can carry over even some of his KBO success back to the big leagues.
It isn’t known if Hart is specifically looking for a starting opportunity in the majors or if he’s willing to take on any role, though the five teams cited as suitors would seem to slot him as a reliever or swingman, in lieu of future injuries or trades to the incumbent rotation. The Twins and Yankees are particularly thin on left-handed bullpen options, which could make Hart particularly appealing to those clubs.
Hart’s previous Major League experience consists of just four appearances and 11 innings with the Red Sox in 2020, when he was hit hard for a 15.55 ERA over his few cups of coffee in the Show. A 19th-round pick for Boston in the 2016 draft, Hart pitched pretty well in his first taste of Triple-A ball in 2019, but has since struggled at the top minor league level, with an overall 4.36 ERA to show for 334 2/3 career Triple-A frames. Hart spent his entire career with the Red Sox before pitching with the Mariners’ and Phillies’ Triple-A affiliates in 2023, and then jumping to the Dinos.
2020 Red Sox pitching staff legend
Yankees need this LH arm more than anyone. Let’s see if the wimps pony up.
One good year in Korea and he thinks he’s ready for The Show?
Fedde got a whole lot better in Korea after being in a rut. It happens with that dramatic a change and regaining confidence.
Not only the confidence. They typically enhance their arsenal. Offspeed stuff tends to improve with the KBO success stories.
He learned the Roger Beshens Football Slider and now he’s ready to go! 2025 CY dark horse imo
…”he thinks he’s ready”.
Nah, the phone calls from 18 MLB teams thinks that.
I gotta agree.. KBO, hitter friendly or not, is roughly Double A-esq talent equivalent. Lot of pitchers that perform well in the mid to lower minors but can’t get major league hitters out. That said, I thought the Fedde signing was ridiculous and he proved a lot of people wrong. Best of luck to Hart, nevertheless. Happy New Years all!
Hey, he’s a got a Don-won Choi.
These AAAA guys often have a much better opportunity to succeed with more time, lesser competition, and lesser pressure in foreign leagues. They can refine their craft while succeeding against lesser competition and thereby building up their confidence. Sometimes they come out of the experience as completely different, mature ball players. Look at Suarez with the Orioles last year. He cost nothing and is under team control for years while proving himself as an elite swingman/back end of the rotation option. That guy on the FA market – given what we’ve seen this offseason – would command something like a 3/36 or so contract. Teams are eager to take a chance at acquiring such surplus value at relatively minimal cost.
Going rate for a backend starter this year is $15MM for 1 year. Mr Boyd and Mr Cobb have set the price.
O’s shopping in the bargain aisle!
They’re feel safer swimming in the kiddie pool.
Hard to see how he fits and crowds out a more impactful acquisition. He may end up being a bargain and I’ll have to trust Elias.
But certainly not the signing you’re gonna love in Dec/Jan.
Obviously we’d rather have Hoffman or somebody but look at how Suarez turned out last year. These guys can be really really valuable pickups. They just shouldn’t prevent us from making other more impactful moves
I think they’re probably looking to acquire another open option on the cheap while waiting out the market to see who they can get at a fair price from along Hoffman/estevez/yates/sewald/minter/etc. And I’d expect they’ll then trade for whoever is the most cost effective (in terms of prospect capital) from among Lopez/castillo/cease/keller/etc.
Still think they trade for Castillo or cease
Of course the Twins are interested in a bargain, non-proven starting option that wouldn’t cost anything! Shocker!
With 18 teams checking in, this sounds more like shopping at Walmart on Black-Friday at 5:30am!
A Fist Fight…followed by a Lumber Jack Match for Hart
They’re “interested”, but he’s still too expensive for the poorhouse Pohlads.
Yanks… just say no.
Why? If the Yankees do anything well, it’s getting pitchers like this that turn out to be very good bullpen arms.
The Yankees need to be in on guys like this. They’re clearly hitting their payroll limits and even the biggest spenders need some cheap hits in occasion. The Yankees look like a team in big big trouble down the line with no hope of competing long term without adjusting their current “strategy”, if we can even call it that. They’re a bottom 10 organization in the sport when you look at them from a long term lens and I think it’s something they’re very keenly aware of. Their current model is entirely unsustainable and requires way too much luck for sustained success. Last year was an outrageously lucky season for them but it’s unlikely they’ll get a healthy mvp performance from Judge every year while maintaining such crazy health from an aging roster over the course of a long season. On paper they look absolutely buried by the orioles and even Red Sox long term and making moves like this, along with good drafting is the only way to right the slowly sinking ship that is the Yankees.
“They’re a bottom 10 organization in the sport when you look at them from a long term lens”
Are you seriously suggesting that the team that hasn’t had a losing record since the early 90s to project bottom 10? A continual $300 million dollar payroll will keep them competitive even in any down years. You point out they were lucky last year because of health to Judge and ignore Cole missing most of the season. And while I’m not taking away anything from the Orioles or Red Sox, they should probably show something going forward before crowning them.
danumd87 – you’re making a couple of assumptions:
1. That the Yankees won’t just unload a couple contracts at the ends of their useful lives and spend to get more high impact players. Their average age is actually down the past couple of years from where it was 10-15 years ago, and the team has never shown hesitation to make moves to win. The last time they finished below .500 George HW Bush was president.
2. In the long term, do you expect the Orioles to extend these young stars? They’ll start to have Mullins and Mountcastle hit FA which won’t kill them (Eflin will hurt, as their only SP with more than 1 year of proven top half experience), but then the big dominos hit free agency: Rutschman, Bradish and Bautista (2028), Henderson and Rodriguez (2029), Westburg, Cowser (2030). With this winter as further indication added onto the past nearly 30 years, since purging the team in 2000, where do you see this team spending money to extend some of these guys let alone on players to fill in the gaps around them? They’re going to be getting expensive starting around 2027, so basically 3 years.
I’m fine with a risk like Hart in NY. But I would assume he would prefer a team that he could compete for a rotation slot.
Wait, is this a rumour where the Jays are not involved/interested?
There’s 18 teams involved… who knows?
Atkins is still working on Soto.
He won’t give up until he is on the plane.
Boat that gave me a good chuckle
Weird he looks nothing like his older brother, the actor, but resembles his other older brother, the wrestler?
Better get another eggnog and do some research….
Given what the orioles did with Suarez they should be a very attractive destination.
18 teams? Wow, the Orioles are feeling the crowd when they used to be all alone in that dumpster.
You could luck out and get a Merrill Kelly or an Erick Fedde, of course you could also end up with a Josh Lindblom or worse, Drew Rucinski…
This is right up the Orioles alley.
I went to high school with him, he’s a solid dude. Hope he catches on with a team and gets a shot.
Jimmy Key’s fastball averaged 89 mph
Sounds like another Brewers stretch guy. Milwaukee will make gold outta ya!