Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Korea Baseball Organization

KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes Sign Addison Russell, Eric Jokisch

By | at

The Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League have signed shortstop Addison Russell and re-signed left-hander Eric Jokisch to contracts for the 2023 season, according to reports out of South Korea.  (Hat tip to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net).  Jokisch will receive $1.5MM, while Russell receives $700K.

This is Russell’s second KBO stint, after previously playing 65 games with the Heroes during the 2020 season.  Russell hit .254/.317/.336 over 271 plate appearances that year, and the Heroes didn’t renew Russell’s contract after the season was up.  Russell has spent the last two seasons posting big numbers with Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League.

Once one of baseball’s top prospects, Russell spent five seasons with the Cubs (2015-19) and was an important part of the team’s 2016 World Series championship club.  However, in 2018, Russell was issued a 40-game suspension under the MLB-MLBPA Join Domestic Violence Policy, in the wake of the league’s investigation into accusations made by Russell’s ex-wife of physical and verbal abuse during their marriage.  The Cubs chose to tender Russell a contract following the 2018 season, but non-tendered the shortstop following the 2019 campaign.

Jokisch’s Major League resume consists of four games and 14 1/3 innings with the Cubs back in 2014, and he also pitched in the minors with the Marlins, Rangers, Diamondbacks, and Athletics over the course of his nine seasons in affiliated baseball.  The southpaw then signed with the Heroes prior to the 2019 season, and has become a staple for the Seoul-based club, posting a 2.72 ERA over 701 2/3 innings and 117 starts for the Heroes over the last four seasons.

Jokisch turns 34 in July, and with such a comfortable niche carved out for himself in the KBO League, it remains to be seen if he’ll ever explore a return to North American baseball.  There was some indication that MLB teams were interested in the lefty during the 2020-21 offseason, but he ended up returning to the Heroes.

KBO’s LG Twins Walk Away From Deal With Abraham Almonte

By | at

TODAY: According to reports out of South Korea, the LG Twins have pulled out of the contract, due to an issue following Almonte’s physical.

DECEMBER 5: The LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization have announced a one-year contract with outfielder Abraham Almonte.  (Hat tip to reporter Sung Min Kim.)  Almonte will receive $400K in salary, a $100K signing bonus, and up to $300K in incentive bonuses.

The 33-year-old Almonte is a veteran of the last 10 Major League seasons, suiting up with seven different teams at the MLB level and also spending some time in the minors with the Brewers’ and Yankees’ farm systems.  Of Almonte’s 455 career games in the Show, 187 were played with Cleveland from 2015-17, and his next highest total was 70 games with the Padres over parts of three seasons.

Almonte consistently found work as a backup or part-time outfielder during his journeyman career, due more to his ability to play all three outfield positions than his bat.  While the switch-hitter has a few flashes at the plate, Almonte hit a modest .235/.302/.374 over 1363 Major League plate appearances.  He entered the 2022 season on a minor league deal with the Brewers, but didn’t reach the majors until after he was dealt to the Red Sox in July.

Heading overseas for the first time in his pro career, Almonte now joins the Twins.  Each KBO League team has up to three roster spots dedicated to non-Korean players, and international players can only sign for a $1MM maximum.  An international player’s first KBO contract can also be only one year in length.

Guillermo Heredia Signs With KBO’s SSG Landers

By | at

The SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization have announced that they have signed outfielder Guillermo Heredia (hat tip to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net). Heredia will earn $900K, with the possibility of earning an additional $100K in performance bonuses.

Heredia, who was projected to make $1.1MM in his final trip through the arbitration process, was non-tendered by the Braves in November. A veteran of parts of seven Major League seasons, Heredia joined Atlanta after the 2020 season, having been designated for assignment by the Mets, and would go on to win a World Series with the club.

Heredia appeared in 74 games (82 plate appearances) with the Braves during the 2022 season. However, he hit a poor .158/.220/.342 with a colossal 39% strikeout rate and below-average 7.3% walk rate. While never a major factor at the plate, with a career .231/.310/.346 line, 20% strikeout rate, and 8.3% walk rate, the right-handed hitter has a history of above-average fielding, having accrued at least five Outs Above Average (OAA) in five of his seven seasons. Nevertheless, during the 2022 season, Heredia earned 0 OAA while posting 1 Defensive Run Saved and a 0.8 Ultimate Zone Rating.

With the Braves hosting an outfield of three-time All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr., reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Harris, Eddie Rosario, and two-time All-Star Marcell Ozuna, Heredia was evidently deemed non-essential by the club. Instead, Heredia, who turns 32 years old in January, will make the transition overseas. He will earn a raise compared to a minor league salary and can explore a return to MLB if his time in South Korea proves fruitful.

KBO’s KT Wiz Re-Sign Anthony Alford, Wes Benjamin

By | at

The KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization announced that they have re-signed outfielder Anthony Alford and left-hander Wes Benjamin (hat tip to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net.) Alford will make $1.1MM while Benjamin will make $1.3MM.

Alford, 28, was a highly-touted prospect in the Blue Jays’ system given his five-tool potential but he struggled against major league pitching. He got 240 plate appearances with the Jays and Pirates spread across six seasons from 2017 to 2022, striking out in 37.9% of them and producing a tepid overall batting line of .209/.275/.368.

He signed with the Wiz in May of 2022 and flourished, getting into 80 games and hitting .286/.362/.509. He hit 14 home runs and stole five bases in that brief audition, showing enough potential for the club to effectively double his salary as he was paid $577K for 2022.

Benjamin, 29, also joined the Wiz in May, signing for $331K for what remained of the season at that time. He then made 17 starts for the Wiz the rest of the way with a 2.70 ERA over 96 2/3 innings. As a reward for that solid showing, the club has retained him with a big raise for 2023.

Both players are fairly young and could garner interest from MLB clubs down the road if they continue posting solid results in 2023. But for now, they will be looking to help their club in Korea for the next season while pocketing some decent earnings.

KBO’s NC Dinos Sign Jason Martin

By | at

December 8: The club has announced the signing, as relayed by Kurtz. Martin will make a $720K salary and $180K signing bonus, with $100K in incentives also available.

December 4: The NC Dinos are working on completing a deal with outfielder Jason Martin, according to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO. This will be Martin’s first stint overseas after 10 seasons in affiliated North American baseball.

Martin, a former eight-round draft pick for the Astros, was traded to the Pirates as part of the 2018 Gerrit Cole trade that included Joe Musgrove, Michael Feliz, and Colin Moran. He made his major league debut during the 2019 season, getting into 20 games (40 plate appearances) with a weak .250/.325/.306 line, and would spend much of the season in Triple-A Indianapolis, where he hit a much more respectable .260/.312/.419 with 25 doubles.

Martin was hitless in 11 plate appearances during 2020, before he was outrighted off Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster at the end of the season. He latched on with Texas on a minor league deal, eventually joining the major league team. Once again, despite promising results in Triple-A (.248/.388/.543), Martin struggled against major league pitching, hitting .208/.248/.354 in 154 plate appearances. Martin elected free agency after the 2021 season, joining the Dodgers on a minor league contract, but did not see time with the major league club during the 2022 season. He finished the 2022 season slashing a strong .285/.374/.564 with 32 homers and 25 doubles in 129 games.

Martin, who turned 27 in September, will head abroad looking to shake the Quad-A moniker that he has cultivated over the past few seasons. He will likely earn a raise compared to his minor league salary and can explore a return to MLB if his time in South Korea proves fruitful.

KBO’s Samsung Lions Re-Sign Three Players

By | at

The Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization announced last night they’ve re-signed all three of their foreign-born players (h/t to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net). Right-handers David Buchanan and Albert Suarez and outfielder José Pirela all inked new deals for the 2023 campaign.

All three players have prior MLB experience. Buchanan made 35 starts for the Phillies from 2014-15, posting a 5.01 ERA. He spent three seasons in Japan and has now played three years in South Korea, working to a 3.45 ERA or lower each year. Buchanan provided the Lions 160 frames of 3.04 ERA ball this past season. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted last night the 33-year-old righty was drawing some attention from MLB teams but decided to return to Daegu for a fourth season. He’ll make $1.6MM, according to the team announcement.

Suarez played for the Giants in 2016-17. He posted a 4.51 ERA in 115 2/3 innings for San Francisco. By 2019, he’d made the jump to Asia. Like Buchanan, he first went to Japan. After three seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, he signed with the Lions in 2022. His first season in the KBO was a resounding success, as he posted a 2.49 ERA over 173 2/3 innings while starting 29 of 30 outings. The Venezuelan-born righty will return for a second season on a $1.3MM salary.

Pirela, who’ll make $1.7MM, is the highest-paid of the trio. He also started in NPB before making the move to South Korea for the 2021 campaign. The right-handed hitter has played two seasons for the Lions, combining for an excellent .314/.384/.528 line in over 1200 plate appearances. That includes a massive .342/.411/.565 showing in 141 games this past season. A Venezuela native, the 33-year-old Pirela played in 302 MLB games between 2014-19. He suited up with the Yankees, Padres and Phillies and hit .257/.308/.392 in the majors.

KBO League’s SSG Landers Re-Sign Shin-Soo Choo

By | at

Longtime Major League outfielder Shin-Soo Choo has re-signed for a third season with the KBO League’s SSG Landers, according to reports out of South Korea (hat tip to MyKBO.net’s Dan Kurtz).  Choo will receive 1.7 billion won, or roughly $1.32MM in U.S. dollars.  This represents a significant pay cut from Choo’s 2.7 billion won/$2.3MM salary in 2022, but the two sides agreed to the deal to help the Landers stay under the KBO’s new salary cap.

Choo (who turned 40 in July) will be entering his 23rd season in pro baseball.  Signing an amateur deal with the Mariners as an 18-year-old Choo had never actually played in the KBO League until he joined SSG Landers in the 2020-21 offseason.  Even at his increased age, Choo has still been productive in his home country, hitting .261/.397/.441 with 37 home runs over 1074 plate appearances and 248 games with the Landers since the start of the 2021 season.  This run in the KBO was highlighted by the Landers’ triumphant 2022 campaign, which saw the club post a league-best 88-52 record in the regular season and then capture its fifth Korean Series title.

Over 16 seasons of Major League ball, Choo was usually a very productive hitter, posting a .275/.377/.447 slash line over 7157 career PA in the Show with Seattle, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Texas.  Choo’s defensive struggles limited his overall value, though he still posted 34 fWAR over his MLB tenure, and his career 123 wRC+ was solidly above average.  There was some speculation last winter that Choo might be considering a return to the majors, but no such news publicly surfaced this winter, and Choo will now return to the Landers in search of another championship.

Yasiel Puig Changes Plea To Not Guilty In Gambling Case

By | at

Just over two weeks ago, it was reported that Yasiel Puig pled guilty to lying to federal agents during an investigation into an illegal gambling operation. Now he has withdrawn from that plea agreement, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, changing his plea to not guilty. “I want to clear my name,” Puig said in a statement. “I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit.”

The former big leaguer would have been eligible for probation and had agreed to pay a fine of at least $55,000 under the agreement. Having now withdrawn, Puig could face trial and a maximum sentence of five years in prison. “Significant new evidence” prompted the change, according to Keri Axel, Puig’s attorney. “We are prepared to publicly share that information in the appropriate forum and at the appropriate time,” Axel says.

The government alleges that Puig lost almost $300K on sports bets in the first half of 2019 but then lied to investigators over a Zoom call about it. “Mr. Puig, who has a third-grade education, had untreated mental-health issues, and did not have his own interpreter or criminal legal counsel with him,” Axel says, in relation to that Zoom call.

Puig played in the majors from 2013 to 2019 but there is no evidence in the plea agreement that he bet on baseball.

Shaun Anderson Signs With KBO’s Kia Tigers

By | at

NOVEMBER 29: The Tigers have finalized an agreement with Anderson on a one-year deal that guarantees him $700K (h/t to Ji-heon Bae). He’ll receive a $100K signing bonus on top of a $600K salary, and the deal contains $300K in potential incentives. Anderson is represented by Wasserman.

NOVEMBER 26: The Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization are in talks with free agent right-hander Shaun Anderson, according to Ji-heon Bae of Sports Chunchu (hat tip to MyKBO.net’s Dan Kurtz).

The 28-year-old Anderson has pitched in the last four Major League seasons, though his participation in the 2022 campaign was limited to a single inning of work with the Blue Jays.  The remainder of Anderson’s year was spent at Triple-A Buffalo, where he posted a 3.58 ERA, 20.6% strikeout rate, and 8.7% walk rate over 88 innings.  Anderson started 15 of 36 appearances, though some of those “starts” were as an opener.

Originally a third-round pick for the Red Sox in the 2016 draft, Anderson has bounced around quite a bit during his pro career, and he has already pitched for five different teams over his four MLB seasons.  After spending the 2019-20 seasons with the Giants, Anderson took the mound for the Twins, Orioles, and Padres in 2021, before his one-game cup of coffee with Toronto last year.  The right-hander was also briefly part of the Rangers organization for some of the 2021 campaign.

Anderson hasn’t had much success at the MLB level, posting a 5.84 ERA over 135 2/3 career innings.  He has a more solid track record in the minors (3.72 ERA in 416 2/3 frames) but he has never been a big strikeout pitcher, and Anderson’s grounder rates have also tailed off after topping the 50% threshold earlier in his career.

Multi-inning relief work might have been Anderson’s best way of finding a niche to stay on a big league roster, but he’ll now head to South Korea to try and revive his fortunes as a starting pitcher.  Former Major Leaguers Thomas Pannone and Sean Nolin pitched with the Kia Tigers in 2022, but Bae writes that the Tigers might not retain either hurler as they look to overhaul their rotation.

SSG Landers Close To Signing Kirk McCarty

By | at

Left-hander Kirk McCarty is close to signing with the KBO League’s SSG Landers, according to a report from Ilgan Sports (hat tip to reporter Sung Min Kim).  A deal will become official once McCarty passes a physical.

McCarty made his Major League debut in 2022, posting a 4.54 ERA over 37 2/3 innings for the Guardians.  Eleven of McCarty’s 13 appearances came out of the bullpen, and he started getting some Triple-A usage as a multi-inning reliever after spending much of his pro career as a starter.  Over his 425 1/3 innings in the minors, McCarty has a 4.30 ERA, 22.9% strikeout rate, and 7.26% walk rate.

These types of numbers were enough to give McCarty his first crack in the big leagues, but ultimately made him a little expendable in the pitching-deep Guardians farm system.  McCarty was actually designated for assignment in July and claimed off waivers by the Orioles, but he pitched just one game with Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate before he was DFA’ed again, and re-claimed by Cleveland.  Prior to the 40-man roster deadline earlier this month, the Guards designated McCarty again and released him.

McCarty was a seventh-round pick for Cleveland in the 2017 draft, and he has spent his entire career in the organization apart from that one-week sojourn in the Orioles’ system.  The move to the Korea Baseball Organization presents a whole new chapter for the 27-year-old, and perhaps a chance for McCarty to more firmly re-establish himself as a starting pitcher.  Due to his lack of strikeouts, McCarty doesn’t really fit most MLB teams’ preferred model for a starter or a reliever, though he does have some quality spin rates on both his fastball and curveball.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top