Free agent outfielder Daz Cameron has agreed to a deal with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization in South Korea, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The Bears, in announcing the deal, revealed that Cameron will earn $1MM in 2026.
Cameron, 29 in January, was once a notable prospect. The Astros took him 37th overall in 2015. Due to his speed and defensive abilities, he was considered to have a decent floor. The larger question was how much he would provide with the bat to complement his other skills.
Ultimately, a lack of punch on offense has become the story, at least in the majors. Cameron has 472 big league plate appearances spread over five seasons with a 6.6% walk rate and 29.9% strikeout rate. That’s led to a .200/.258/.326 line and 65 wRC+.
Cameron has fared a bit better in the minors, particularly lately. Over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he stepped to the plate 464 times at the Triple-A level. His 22.2% strikeout rate was far more palatable and his 13.1% walk rate was actually quite strong. He hit a combined .291/.394/.577 for a 146 wRC+.
Despite the strong numbers on the farm, he’s mostly been relegated to a fringe roster position in the majors. He exhausted his final option season in 2022. Since then, he’s bounced on and off 40-man rosters with various clubs. He has occasionally received a bench role but then has been designated for assignment and passed through waivers multiple times. He got a brief run on the Brewers’ roster in 2025 but was outrighted in July. He became a minor league free agent at season’s end.
If Cameron had stayed in North America for the 2026 season, he surely would have been stuck with minor league offers. By heading to Korea, he will presumably lock in a better guaranteed salary and get a nice opportunity to showcase his abilities on a bigger stage. If he succeeds over there, he could perhaps try to return to North America, though staying in the KBO with a nice raise or pursuing opportunities in other Asian leagues would be options as well.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Hanisch, Imagn Images
GO DAZ!
Man, I really thought he was gonna be a star when he was drafted
a lot of us did. He felt like another Mike Cameron mold OF (super toolsy, maybe light on the hit tool)….. but those guys tend to be so boom or bust.
It feels like if Daz had just figured this out 2-3 years ago, he would have had the run in MLB. During the period he competed for a roster spot on a rebuilding Os, i loved this guy- but other guys worked out better than Daz at that time.
IF he can put up a 140 WRC+ in Asia, he will get another shot at MLB, but at this point he is just taking the money (likely around 1m) and i am not sure how much he would need to do to get another shot at big money in MLB if he comes back in his 30ies.
His father was 10 times the ball player he will ever be.
And suspended more times too.
Who said he was trying to be like his father?
You really are an ignorant SOB, MFF
Quad-A
Anyone ever see a Doosan Bear in the wild and not just in the park.?
Nope. But there’s a lot Doosan forklift here in my work place. Pretty tame btw, you just need to recharge it every day
Nippert looks like such a chill guy on Physical 100. Seems like he really adopted Korea as his forever home instead of getting his bag and coming home.
Daz is a good fielder just too many strikeouts in his game. Overseas isn’t the worst thing for him to work on that. You know his dad was a late bloomer. He should’ve been on playoff roster instead of Lockridge, same player but had some pop. I thought he could’ve been better then Perkins but they just didnt give him chance in Milwaukee.
One of the players the Tigers received from the Astros in the 2017 Justin Verlander trade. Astros definitely won that one and here’s hoping Cameron finally amounts to something in Korea
Go Bears!