Shin-Soo Choo To Retire After 2024 KBO Season
Longtime big league veteran Shin-Soo Choo announced earlier this week (hat tip to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News) that 2024 will be his final season in pro baseball. The 41-year-old Choo has played with the Korea Baseball Organization’s SSG Landers for the last three seasons, and he’ll spent one more year with the Landers before hanging up his cleats. Choo is essentially playing for free in 2024, as he re-signed with the Landers for a KBO-minimum salary and will donate the sum to charity.
“I decided it was time for me to put a period on my baseball journey that started in 2001,” Choo said in a team statement to the Korea Times and other outlets. “Since the 2024 season will be my last one, I want to show my gratitude to baseball fans, both at home and on the road, and give them long-lasting memories throughout the year.”
Choo hit .275/.377/.447 over 7157 plate appearances and 1652 games in the majors from 2005-20. A “professional hitter” type, Choo delivered a very solid 123 wRC+ over his 16 MLB seasons, always showing a knack for getting on base even in his less-successful seasons at the plate. Choo was also something of an underrated threat power-wise (218 home runs) and on the basepaths (157 steals in 212 chances), as he authored three 20-20 seasons during his big league career.
An international signing for the Mariners in 2000, Choo spent parts of his first two Major League campaigns in Seattle before being traded to Cleveland in July 2006. It was a shrewd acquisition for the Indians, as Choo went on to become a lineup fixture over seven seasons with the Tribe. However, as the team fell out of contention and Choo’s arbitration numbers began to increase, Cleveland dealt Choo to the Reds as part of a three-team, nine-player trade also involving the Diamondbacks in December 2012.
Choo’s lone season in Cincinnati was the best of his career, as he hit .285/.423/.462 with 21 homers and 20 stolen bases over 712 PA for a Reds team that reached the postseason. This great platform year led to a big free agent payday for Choo in the form of a seven-year, $130MM deal with Texas. Such a contract inevitably comes with high expectations, and unfortunately for both Choo and the Rangers, the deal didn’t really work out.
Between injuries and a declining glove, Choo’s value became entirely tied to his bat, and thus producing only good (111 wRC+) numbers in Texas wasn’t enough. Choo ended up generating only 7.5 fWAR over the length of that seven-year deal, and it didn’t help that the franchise as a whole went into a rebuild period during Choo’s tenure. After a pair of tough playoff losses to the Blue Jays in 2015-16, the Rangers didn’t post another winning record for the remaining four seasons of Choo’s deal.
After garnering only limited interest from big league teams during the 2020-21 offseason, Choo decided to head back to his native country and sign with the Landers (then known as the SK Wyverns). Since Choo had signed with the Mariners as an amateur, he had never played in the KBO League prior to 2021, and his homecoming has been a successful one. Choo has hit .259/.391/.427 over his three seasons with the Landers, and the team won the Korean Series in 2022.
KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes Sign Enmanuel De Jesus
Left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus has signed on with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization, according to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News. Yoo indicates that the one-year pact between the sides is worth $800K.
De Jesus, 27 last week, signed with the Red Sox out of Venezuela back in 2014. De Jesus spent seven season with Boston working his way up the minor leagues, largely working out of the rotation despite eclipsing 70 innings of work in a season just twice during that time. From 2021 to 2023, De Jesus jumped between Triple-A affiliates with the Red Sox, Giants, and Marlins organizations, pitching to a 4.61 ERA with a 191 1/3 innings of work throughout the time. De Jesus ultimately got his first look in the big leagues as a September call up with Miami this past autumn. He drew two appearances with the Marlins during the stretch run but struggled in those trips to the mound, allowing eight runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out five and hitting three batters across 6 1/3 innings of work.
Despite his limited exposure at the upper levels of the minors and struggles in his two major league appearances, De Jesus has managed to secure a spot overseas, where he’ll be making more than the major league minimum next season. Clearly, the Heroes see something in De Jesus; as Yoo notes, KBO organizations can only sign three foreign players, with a maximum of two pitchers. For Kiwoom to commit one of those two slots to De Jesus, they were surely intrigued by his profile. De Jesus’s career has been marked with inconsistency as he’s switched between starting and relief roles and shuffled throughout multiple levels of the minors and organizations in recent years, but he posted some impressive peripherals in 101 2/3 innings of work with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in 2022 as he paired a 25.2% strikeout rate with a 42.2% groundball rate.
While De Jesus has yet to establish himself in stateside ball, plenty of players have gone on to has successful careers overseas and even return to the majors later on in their career. Diamondbacks righty Merrill Kelly is perhaps the most successful pitcher to revitalize his career with a sojourn to Korea, though it’s possible that reigning KBO MVP Erick Fedde will join him after signing a two-year pact with the White Sox earlier this season. At just 27 years old, De Jesus is certainly young enough to return to the majors at some point should he successfully establish himself as a quality starter on the other side of the world.
KBO’s SSG Landers Re-Sign Roenis Elias, Guillermo Heredia
The SSG Landers of the Korean Baseball Organization have re-signed left-hander Roenis Elias and outfielder Guillermo Heredia, per Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News. The report goes on to note that Elias signed for a $1MM salary while Heredia signed for $1.5MM.
A veteran of seven MLB seasons, Elias began his career as a starting pitcher with the Mariners back in 2014. After missing much of the 2016 and ’17 seasons due to injury, Elias later transitioned to the bullpen. He found success in that role with both the Mariners and Nationals, pitching to a 3.30 ERA across 71 appearances from 2018-19. Unfortunately for Elias, Tommy John surgery in early 2021 would derail his newfound relief career somewhat. He pitched just 7 2/3 innings in the majors following his surgery.
Elias began starting again during the 2022-23 offseason, and initially signed on with the Cubs on a minor league deal that winter. After making four starts with the club at the Triple-A level, he was picked up by the Landers for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. He did fairly well in his return to starting, with a 3.70 ERA in 131 1/3 innings for SSG last season that placed him in the middle of the club’s rotation behind fellow former big leaguers Kwang Hyun Kim and Kirk McCarty. He figures to continue in that role with the Landers in 2024, his age-35 campaign.
Heredia joined the Mariners back in 2016 after defecting from Cuba and spent seven seasons in the majors as a fourth outfielder, slashing .231/.310/.346 while playing solid defense across all three outfield spots for the Rays, Pirates, Mets, and Braves as well as the Mariners. Heredia was non-tendered by the Braves following the 2022 campaign and signed with the Landers shortly thereafter. Heredia excelled in an everyday role with SSG this past season, slashing .324/.385/.461 while hitting 12 home runs, a career-best for him at any level of professional baseball. Heredia figures to continue in his role as the Landers’ everyday left field in 2024 while also seeing occasional time in center.
Victor Reyes Signs With KBO’s Lotte Giants
8:38pm: According to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News, Reyes is set to make $950K in 2024. Yoo also notes that the Giants have re-signed former Twins left-hander Charlie Barnes to a one-year, $1.35MM contract. Barnes, 28, pitched 38 innings in the majors for Minnesota back in 2021 and posted a 3.28 ERA across 30 starts with Lotte this past season.
7:49pm: Former big league outfielder Victor Reyes has signed a deal with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Lotte Giants, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The terms of the deal are not currently known.
Reyes, 29, signed with the Braves out of Venezuela back in 2012. After three seasons with Atlanta, Reyes was swapped to the Diamondbacks in 2015 before getting selected as the first pick of the Rule 5 draft in 2017 by the Tigers. He made his big league debut in 2018 with 100 appearances largely as a bench bate and late-inning defensive replacement, sticking on the roster long enough to become a permanent member of the Tigers organization. Though Reyes never secured a full time role in Detroit, the switch hitter performed fairly well in a fourth outfield role, slashing .274/.306/.398 (91 wRC+) from 2019-22 while playing strong outfield defense and going 24-for-32 on the basepaths.
Reyes became a minor league free agent following the 2022 season and eventually joined the White Sox on a minor league deal. He performed well across 128 games at the Triple-A level, slashing .279/.330/.462 across 546 trips to the plate while clubbing 50 extra base hits including 20 home runs. While Reyes ultimately never made it into a big league game with Chicago last season, the improved power potential he flashed in the minors has seemingly earned him attention overseas, leading to this deal with the Giants.
Stateside players who haven’t managed to stick in the big leagues often head overseas in hopes of making their way back to the big leagues later on while making more than they would be able to on a typical minor league contract. Eric Thames and Darin Ruf are among the hitters who revitalized their big league careers with a sojourn to Korea, and most recently right-hander Erick Fedde won the KBO’s MVP award this past season and subsequently earned himself a two-year, $15MM guarantee with the White Sox earlier this winter. Reyes will surely hope to follow in the footsteps of those players as he continues his professional career on the other side of the world.
David McKinnon Signs With KBO’s Samsung Lions
Former Angels and Athletics corner infielder David MacKinnon has signed with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization, the team announced. Jee-ho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency tweets that MacKinnon is guaranteed $1MM on the deal — a $900K salary and $100K signing bonus.
MacKinnon, who turns 29 today, was a 32nd-round pick by the Angels in 2017 and made a brief big league debut in 2022, appearing in 22 games and taking 57 turns at the plate between Anaheim and Oakland. He posted a tepid .140/.228/.140 slash in that tiny sample, but MacKinnon has posted a hearty .294/.412/.464 slash in his minor league career — including a gaudy .318/.416/.585 output in his 2022 Triple-A run between the Angels and A’s organizations.
That minor league production led to interest from Japan last offseason, and MacKinnon spent the ’23 campaign playing for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Seibu Lions. He batted .259/.327/.401 and swatted 15 homers in 514 plate appearances there, and he’ll now jump to the KBO and continue to earn at a rate that vastly outpaces anything he’d earned as a late-round draft flier and career minor leaguer.
KBO’s KT Wiz Re-Sign Wes Benjamin
Wes Benjamin re-signed with the KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization yesterday, the team announced (h/t to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO). The left-hander will make $1.4MM.
Bejamin, 30, goes into his third season with the team. He initially joined the Wiz in May 2022. After posting a 2.70 ERA in 17 starts, he re-signed last offseason. Benjamin turned in a 3.54 ERA across 29 starts and 160 innings. He struck out 23% of opposing hitters against a 6.5% walk rate.
Prior to going to Korea, the former fifth-round pick pitched for the Rangers. He got into 21 games for Texas between 2020-21, allowing 6.80 earned runs per nine through 45 innings. Benjamin had signed a minor league deal with the White Sox for the ’22 campaign. He made seven starts for the Sox’s Triple-A affiliate before being granted his release to move to the KBO.
The Wiz also re-signed William Cuevas and brought back outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. last week. That trio takes their allotted three roster spots for foreign-born players to open the season.
KBO’s NC Dinos Sign Daniel Castano
The NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization have signed former Marlins lefty Daniel Castano to a one-year contract, the team announced (English-language link via Jee-ho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency). He’ll earn $650K in guaranteed money between his salary and signing bonus, and he can take home another $200K via incentives.
Castano, 29, came to the Marlins alongside future stars Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen (later flipped to Arizona for Jazz Chisholm Jr.) in the trade that sent Marcell Ozuna to St. Louis. He’s appeared in each of the past four seasons with Miami, logging a total of 88 2/3 innings. Along the way, the former 19th-round pick has posted a 4.47 earned run average with a 12.4% strikeout rate that’s roughly half the league average and a solid 7.9% walk rate.
Castano has appeared in parts of three Triple-A seasons with the Marlins and produced generally similar run-prevention numbers, albeit with a much better strikeout rate. In 174 innings with Miami’s top affiliate in Jacksonville, he’s logged a 4.24 ERA, 20.6% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate. He’s expected to work as a starter with the Dinos, per general manager Sun-nam Lim.
The Marlins outrighted Castano off the 40-man roster in September, and he became a free agent following the season. He’d likely have been in line for a minor league deal were he to sign with an MLB organization, at which point he’d have earned at a prorated deal not far north of the MLB minimum for any time spent in the big leagues. The $650K guarantee alone should top what he might’ve made under that scenario, and the incentives give him further earning potential.
If things go well for Castano in the KBO, he could position himself to re-sign for a guarantee closer to seven figures next year, and with enough success he could draw interest from Japan’s NPB or even on a return to the big leagues. He only just turned 29 in September, so he’s still young enough to make his way back to North American ball in a few years, depending how he fares overseas.
KBO’s KT Wiz Re-Sign William Cuevas
The KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization announced last week that they’ve re-signed righty William Cuevas and outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. for the 2024 season (h/t to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap). Cuevas will make $1.5MM, while Rojas is set for a $900K salary.
Cuevas and Rojas are each KBO veterans. The former has some major league experience, pitching with the Red Sox and Tigers between 2016-18. Cuevas pitched in Korea from 2018-22 and signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers entering last season. After a couple months in Triple-A, he was granted his release to sign a new contract with the Wiz.
The 33-year-old was brilliant in his return to Korea. He worked to a 2.60 ERA over 18 starts in the season’s final four months. Cuevas struck out 21.7% of opponents while keeping his walks to a modest 5.2% clip. While he probably could’ve found another minor league opportunity, it’s no surprise he opts for the much stronger salary he’ll receive for what will be his sixth season as a member of the Wiz.
Rojas has been on MLB radars in past offseasons but hasn’t signed with a big league club since initially joining the Wiz during the 2017 season. He hit .321/.388/.594 over parts of four KBO seasons, winning the league’s MVP award in 2020. He spent the 2021-22 campaigns in Japan and played in the Mexican League last year.
KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes Re-Sign Ronnie Dawson
The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization announced that they have re-signed outfielder Ronnie Dawson, as relayed and translated by Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net. The outfielder will get a $550K salary with $50K of incentives also available.
Dawson, 29 in May, has four games of MLB experience, three with the 2021 Astros and one with the 2022 Reds. In April of 2023, he signed with the Lexington Counter Clocks of the Atlantic League and hit a solid .282/.363/.512 in 64 games for that club.
He was able to parlay that into a job with the Heroes in July, then got into 57 games for that club in the second half. He hit just three home runs but was hard to get out, as he slashed .336/.399/.454. He also stole nine bases while getting caught just twice and lined up defensively in center and left field.
Based on that performance, the Heroes will keep him around for 2024. If Dawson continues to perform well, he could earn himself continued opportunities in Korea or perhaps a jump to Japan or a return to North America down the line.
Felix Pena Re-Signs With KBO’s Hanwha Eagles
The Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization have re-signed righty Félix Peña (h/t to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News). The former big leaguer will collect a $200K signing bonus and a $650K salary with an additional $200K available in incentives.
Peña has spent a year and a half in Korea. He first signed with the Eagles midway through the 2022 campaign. After posting a 3.72 ERA down the stretch, he re-signed on an $850K guarantee last winter. Peña was a durable rotation piece for the Eagles, taking the ball 32 times and tossing 177 1/3 innings. He worked to a 3.60 ERA despite a middling 19.6% strikeout rate.
The 6’2″ righty pitched for the Cubs and Angels over an MLB career that spanned 2016-21. His best season came with the Halos in 2018, when he turned in a 4.18 ERA over 92 2/3 innings. Peña has allowed 4.66 earned runs per nine over his 260 2/3 career big league frames. He’ll turn 34 in February.