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KBO’s Samsung Lions To Sign Taylor Widener

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The Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization have agreed to a deal with right-hander Taylor Widener, reports Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News (Twitter link). Righty Albert Suarez is being released in a corresponding move.

Widener has spent the ’23 campaign in South Korea. The former Diamondback signed an offseason deal with the NC Dinos. He started 11 games, working to a 4.52 ERA over 61 2/3 frames. Widener had a decent 22% strikeout rate against a slightly elevated 8.9% walk percentage.

While his production was serviceable, it wasn’t enough for the Dinos to commit one of their two allotted roster spots to foreign-born pitchers. They released him last week and signed left-hander Tanner Tully out of the Yankees’ organization. According to Yoo, Widener’s contract will be made official on Friday, as KBO rules require a player to wait a week upon being waived before signing with another team.

It’s not common to see foreign players immediately catch on with a different KBO team after being released. Widener is healthy, though, so the Lions will swap him in for Suarez. The Venezuelan-born hurler (and older brother of Padres reliever Robert Suarez) recently suffered a calf injury and is expected to be out around a month, tweets Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.

Suarez, a 33-year-old righty who pitched in the majors with the Giants from 2016-17, spent a year and a half with the Lions. He had an excellent 2.49 ERA showing through 173 2/3 innings a season ago and carried a 3.92 ERA over 19 starts this year. Unfortunately, the injury cut that productive run short.

Tanner Tully Signs With KBO’s NC Dinos

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The Yankees announced they’ve granted minor league southpaw Tanner Tully his release to pursue a contract with the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization. According to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News, he’ll be paid $200K for the stretch run. The Dinos released right-hander Taylor Widener in a corresponding move.

Tully, whose MLB experience consists of three relief outings for the 2022 Guardians, never cracked the big league roster in the Bronx. He signed a minor league deal over the winter and has spent the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Ohio State product started all 19 appearances there. His 5.64 ERA through 91 innings isn’t eye-catching, though it’s at least partially inflated by a lofty .365 average on balls in play.

The 28-year-old has kept his walks to a tidy 6.3% clip for the RailRiders. His 18.6% strikeout rate is a few percentage points below average. Tully has had a pitch-to-contact approach throughout his career. Over seven seasons in the minors, he has a 17.4% strikeout rate and 4.8% walk percentage.

Widener heads back to the free agent market and could find minor league interest in the U.S. He made 49 appearances (13 starts) with the Diamondbacks between 2020-22, working to a 4.26 ERA across 107 2/3 innings. He moved to Korea after being waived off Arizona’s roster in January. Widener’s lone season with the Dinos consisted of 11 starts with a 4.52 ERA. He fanned 22% of KBO opponents against an 8.9% walk rate.

Lee Jung-hoo To Require Season-Ending Ankle Surgery

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Outfielder Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO League will miss the next three months due to an ankle injury that requires surgery, reports Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency. There’s less than two months remaining in the KBO regular season schedule, meaning this will effectively end his season.

Lee, 24, has already established himself as one of the better players in the KBO League despite his young age. He won Rookie of the Year in 2017 after hitting .324/.395/.417 when he was just 18 years old for much of the year. He continued to improve his game in subsequent seasons, including last year. He hit 23 home runs and produced a batting line of .349/.421/.575 for a wRC+ of 175. He struck out in just 5.1% of his plate appearances while walking in 10.5% of them. He also stole five bases and won a Gold Glove for a fifth straight year, with his combined efforts leading to a Most Valuable Player award.

He was surely hoping for another strong season here in 2023, since the Heroes announced in January that he will be posted for major league clubs afterwards, allowing him to attempt to make the move to North America at the age of 25. But it’s not going to end up playing out in ideal fashion for Lee. In 85 games this year, he still played well, but at a level below his MVP campaign last year. His walk rate ticked up to 12.7% but he hit just six home runs, leading to a .319/.407/.456 batting line. His 142 wRC+ indicates he’s still been way above average but not quite as outrageously as last year.

On top of that relatively diminished output, he’ll now have to miss the final few months of the season and will likely go into the winter with uncertainty surrounding his health status. It’s obviously an ill-timed development for Lee, who was surely hoping to earn a significant contract in making the jump to Major League Baseball. Since he turns 25 in August, he will no longer be considered an “amateur” by MLB rules and won’t be subject to the bonus pool system.

He will therefore be free to sign a contract of any length or dollar amount, with the signing club also responsible for paying a posting fee to the Heroes. That’s tied to the size of the contract itself, with the MLB team owing the KBO club 20 percent of the contract’s first $25MM, 17.5 percent of the next $25MM and 15 percent of any dollars thereafter. That fee is on top of any dollars guaranteed to the player himself, and subsequent earning (e.g. performance incentives, contract options) are also subject to the posting system once they become guaranteed to the player.

Lee seemed to be set up to be one of the more intriguing free agents this winter, especially since the class seems heavy on pitchers and light on position players. That might still be the case, though it’s possible that this injury situation has an impact on things, depending on how he progresses between now and the winter.

KBO’s Lotte Giants Sign Aaron Wilkerson, Release Dan Straily

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The Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization announced an agreement with right-hander Aaron Wilkerson this morning (h/t to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News). He’ll be paid $350K through season’s end.

Wilkerson, 34, has pitched professionally since 2013. He logged 14 big league appearances, all of which came with Milwaukee between 2017-19. Wilkerson spent part of last season in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers before returning to the U.S. for 2023. He’d been in the A’s system on a minor league pact, working to a 6.51 ERA through 47 innings with Triple-A Las Vegas.

The A’s granted Wilkerson his release last week. That was apparently so he could pursue the KBO opportunity, which’ll be the first of his career. (Oakland subsequently signed righty Zack Godley as non-roster rotation depth). Wilkerson has a 4.02 ERA over parts of five Triple-A seasons, striking out just under a quarter of opponents in the process.

In a corresponding transaction, Lotte released veteran righty Dan Straily. KBO teams are permitted a maximum of three foreign-born players (two pitchers) on the roster. The Giants will move forward with Charlie Barnes and Wilkerson. Straily has spent four of the last five seasons with Lotte. He was effective for the bulk of that time, including a 2.50 ERA in 2019 and a 2.31 mark over 11 starts after re-signing last August.

Straily hasn’t quite found his groove in 2023, however. He has a 4.37 ERA with a 19.2% strikeout rate and elevated 10.2% walk percentage through 80 1/3 innings. That led the Giants to move on and put Straily back on the open market. The 34-year-old was in affiliated ball last season, spending some time with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A club. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since an eight-year run from 2012-19.

KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes Sign Ronnie Dawson

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The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization announced yesterday they’ve signed outfielder Ronnie Dawson to a contract for the remainder of the 2023 season (h/t to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News). He’ll be paid an $85K salary through year’s end. In a corresponding transaction, the Heroes released infielder Addison Russell.

Dawson, 28, got cups of coffee at the MLB level in 2021-22. The Ohio State product debuted with three games for the Astros — the club that originally selected him in the second round of the 2016 draft — late in the ’21 season. He returned to the majors for a one-game stint with the Reds last year while the team was dealing with COVID-19 issues.

The left-handed hitter spent the rest of last season with the Reds’ top minor league club in Louisville. He hit .252/.339/.394 with 11 homers and stolen bases apiece. He’d been playing in the independent ranks this year. Dawson was off to a .282/.363/.512 start with 13 longballs in 64 games for the Atlantic League’s Lexington Counter Clocks.

Making the jump to the KBO surely comes with a nice pay bump. If he hits well in this audition, he could play his way into another deal there or in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball for 2024. Dawson has scant MLB experience but might put himself back on the big league radar with a strong KBO showing, particularly if he does spend multiple seasons there.

Russell returns to free agency after hitting .286/.339/.400 in 59 games. Yoo notes that he hasn’t played in nearly a month because of a wrist injury. KBO teams are limited to three foreign-born players on the roster, so they typically have a short leash when one of those players is hurt for a notable stretch of time. The former Cub shortstop hasn’t played in the majors since 2019 after serving a 40-game domestic violence suspension the year prior.

Niko Goodrum Signs With KBO’s Lotte Giants

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Veteran infielder/outfielder Niko Goodrum, who opted out of a deal with the Red Sox last week, has signed with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization, the team announced (link via Jee-ho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency). He’ll be paid $400K for the remainder of the season. Goodrum, a client of Roc Nation Sports, will take the roster spot of former Dodgers and Rangers outfielder Zach Reks, who was cut loose after a knee injury tanked his 2023 season.

The 31-year-old Goodrum is a veteran of six Major League seasons who debuted with the Twins back in 2017. The switch-hitter has since spent time in Detroit and Houston, logging a combined .226/.299/.389 batting line in 1531 plate appearances between the three teams. The versatile Goodrum was particularly productive in 2018-19, when he played all four infield positions and all three outfield positions for the Tigers while posting a combined .247/.318/.427 slash with 28 homers and 24 steals in 964 plate appearances.

Goodrum’s 2023 season with the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Worcester was excellent. In 286 trips to the plate, he batted .280/.448/.440 with eight home runs, seven steals and a staggering 23.1% walk rate. Statcast credits Goodrum as a plus defender at both middle infield positions and a passable option in the outfield as well.

With a strong showing in the KBO, it’s possible Goodrum could sign on for another season in South Korea or perhaps head to Japan’s NPB. He’d have seven-figure earning power in either league, though it’s also possible he’ll look to parlay this year’s strong Triple-A showing and a (hopefully) similar level of production in the KBO into a guaranteed big league deal as a free agent next winter.

As for the 29-year-old Reks, he joined the Giants last year as a midseason replacement much as Goodrum is doing now. The 2017 tenth-rounder (Dodgers) hit .330/.410/.495 in 56 games and 251 plate appearances down the stretch, earning himself a $1.2MM guarantee to return ($1MM salary plus $200K signing bonus), but this year’s knee injury left him with a tepid .246/.338/.345 output in a similar sample size to his 2022 showing. Reks is a career .290/.388/.537 hitter in parts of three Triple-A seasons but has only received 44 plate appearances at the MLB level.

KBO’s Kia Tigers Sign Thomas Pannone, Place Shaun Anderson On Waivers

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The Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization announced that they have signed left-hander Thomas Pannone, with right-hander Shaun Anderson placed on waivers in a corresponding move. Hat tip to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net.

Pannone, now 29, was with the Kia Tigers for the second half of last season. He tossed 82 2/3 innings over 14 starts with a 2.72 ERA. He struck out 21% of batters faced while walking 6.9% of them. This winter, he returned to North America and signed a minor league deal with the Brewers. He reported to their Triple-A club and threw 53 1/3 innings over 11 appearances with a 2.70 ERA in that time.

That solid performance got him selected to the big league roster a week ago but he was designated for assignment after just one appearance of 2 2/3 innings. He was released yesterday and will now rejoin the Kia Tigers. He previously played in the majors with the Blue Jays in 2018 and 2019. When combined with his lone outing this year, he has a 5.46 ERA in 118 2/3 innings over 50 major league contests.

KBO teams are only allowed three roster spots for non-Korean players, so Pannone’s signing had to come with a corresponding move. That will be Anderson, 28, who signed with the Tigers in the winter. He made 14 starts this year, tossing 79 innings with a 3.76 ERA. He only struck out 19% of opponents but kept the ball on the ground at a 61.7% rate. Despite those fairly solid results, the Tigers will opt to give Pannone a try and have let Anderson go.

KBO’s Kia Tigers Release Adonis Medina, Sign Mario Sanchez

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The Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization have released right-hander Adonis Medina, per Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency. Right-hander Mario Sanchez will replace Medina, per CPBL Stats.

Medina, 26, pitched in 10 MLB games over the 2020-2022 period with the Phillies and Mets. He had a 5.35 ERA in that time and was outrighted off the Mets’ roster in September. He headed to Korea this year to join the Tigers but it didn’t go especially well. He posted a 6.05 ERA in 58 innings over 12 starts. He struck out just 13.9% of batters faced while walking 10.8%. KBO teams are only allowed three roster spots for non-Korean players and the Tigers have apparently decided to go in a different direction with one of theirs.

Sanchez, 28, will be the beneficiary of the move. He began the year with the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions in the Chinese Professional Baseball League of Taiwan. He made 10 appearances for the Lions, nine starts, with a 1.44 ERA in 62 2/3 innings. He only struck out 17.4% of opponents but kept his walks down to a tiny 4.6% rate. Those strong results will get him an opportunity to showcase himself in the KBO.

Sanchez doesn’t have major league experience but did spend many years in affiliated ball. Initially a prospect with the Nationals, he went to the Phillies as the played to be named later in the 2016 trade that sent Jimmy Cordero to Washington. He never made it past Double-A with the Phils, then returned to the Nats in a minor league capacity. He topped out at Triple-A with the Nats and also the Twins in recent years before heading to Taiwan this season.

KBO’s Hanwha Eagles Sign Nick Williams

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The Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League have signed outfielder Nick Williams (hat tip to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net).  Williams will receive $250K in guaranteed salary and a $150K signing bonus, plus another $50K is available in incentives.

Williams is no stranger to international baseball, having played with Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League in each of the last two seasons.  His last stint in affiliated ball came in 2021 with Triple-A Charlotte before the White Sox released him.  A regular on top-100 prospect lists during his time in the Rangers and Phillies farm systems, Williams was one of six players dealt from Texas to Philadelphia as part of the Cole Hamels trade in July 2015.

All but four of Williams’ 294 career MLB games came in a Phillies uniform, and while his career got off to a quality start (.288/.338/.473 in 343 plate appearances) in 2017, Williams was a little less productive in 2018 and then his numbers badly tailed off in 2019 and he spent much of the season at Triple-A.  The Reds claimed Williams off waivers in 2020 but designated him for assignment before the season was over, and Williams then caught on with the White Sox on a minor league deal that offseason.

Still only 29 years old, Williams will look to South Korea as the next stop in his career.  He has posted big numbers in the Mexican League, hitting .346/.431/.646 over 583 PA with Tijuana.  That could bode well for Williams’ chances in the hitter-friendly KBO League, and another big performance could earn him continued contracts overseas or perhaps another look from a Major League club.

KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes Release Eric Jokisch, Sign Ian McKinney

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The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization have released right-hander Eric Jokisch and signed left-hander Ian McKinney, per Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net (Twitter links). Kurtz adds that Jokisch was diagnosed with a partial tear in left abductor muscle and was set to miss six weeks. KBO teams are only allowed three roster spots for non-Korean players, so they have decided to quickly make this switch instead of waiting for Jokisch to recover.

Jokisch, 33, pitched 14 1/3 innings for the Cubs in 2014, which is the full extent of his major league experience. He has a far lengthier track record in the KBO, as this is the fifth season in which he’s pitched for the Heroes. He’s made 130 starts dating back to the 2019 season, with a 2.85 ERA in 773 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate has been in the 17-21% range for most of those seasons but he’s succeeded by reliably getting ground balls on over two thirds of balls in play.

That success has repeatedly led to him and the Heroes continuing their relationship, though it will now be severed by this injury, as the club will use the roster spot to add McKinney. The left-hander, now 28, was a fifth-round selection of the Cardinals in 2013. He was released in 2018 after topping out at Double-A. He later signed with the Mariners and made it as far as Triple-A in that organization but never made it to the majors.

In addition to that affiliated work, he’s also pitched for independent clubs, including this year. He’s made eight starts for the Gastonia Honey Hunters of the Atlantic League here in 2023, posting a 4.24 ERA in 46 2/3 innings, striking out 53 opponents while walking 11.

Jokisch will now be free to pursue other opportunities, though he may have to rehab from his injury first. His success in Korea led to some interest from MLB clubs prior to the 2021 season, though he ultimately stayed with the Heroes.

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