SSG Landers, NC Dinos left with one spot each to fill on foreign player roster

Just two spots remain in the foreign player market, with only the NC Dinos and reigning champion SSG Landers yet to fill their second pitcher spot.

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Just two spots remain in the foreign player market, with only the NC Dinos and reigning champion SSG Landers yet to fill their second pitcher spot.

It’s been a busy month in the KBO, with a flurry of signings locking in the new foreign rosters for the 2023 KBO season. Fifteen players return to the Korean league next season, with 13 rookies joining the KBO and two spaces still to fill.

Under KBO rules, each club is allowed to sign a maximum three players and at least one has to be a position player. In reality, that means that teams always sign two pitchers and a position player.

All 10 position players have already been filled, with five returning players and five rookies.

In an unexpected move, infielder Addison Russell rejoins the Kiwoom Heroes on a $700,000 deal after playing half a season with the club in 2020 and then spending the last two seasons in Mexico. Russell hit .254 in 65 games that season with 31 RBIs and two homers.

The KT Wiz retained existing outfielder Anthony Alford on a $1.1 million deal, with the Samsung Lions keeping Jose Pirela for $1.7 million, the Kia Tigers re-signing Socrates Brito at $1.1 million and the Lotte Giants bringing Zach Reks back for $1.3 million.

Reigning champions SSG opted to drop all three of their foreign players, replacing Juan Lagares with former Atlanta Braves outfielder Guillermo Heredia on a $1-million deal.

The Landers are not the only team hitting the $1-million foreign rookie wage cap this season, with the NC Dinos signing former Texas Rangers outfielder Jason Martin and the Doosan Bears signing former Los Angeles Angels infielder Jose Rojas ion $1-million deals.

The Hanwha Eagles signed Brian O'Grady, most recently of the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league for $900,000, with the LG Twins rounding off the position player roster with former San Francisco Giants outfielder Austin Dean for $700,000.

Only the Lions and Giants opted to bring back their entire foreign player rosters from the 2022 season, with the Lions re-signing pitchers David Buchanan ($1.6 million) and Albert Suarez ($1.3 million) while the Giants brought back Charlie Barnes ($1.25 billion) and Dan Straily ($1 million).

The Twins brought back both of their starting pitchers from the 2022 season, re-signing Casey Kelly for a fifth season on a $1.8-million deal and bringing Adam Plutko back for his sophomore season at $1.4 million.

Eric Jokisch of the Heroes ($1.5 million), Wes Benjamin ($1.3 million) of the Wiz and Felix Pena ($850,000) of the Eagles complete the foreign pitcher re-signings.

Like the Heroes and Russell, the Bears opted to bring back a former player, re-signing pitcher Raul Alcantara who led the KBO with 20 wins when he played for Doosan in 2020.

Alcantara is joined at Doosan by KBO rookie Dylan File. File joins the Bears on a $650,000 deal after an up-and-down minor league career with the Milwaukee Brewers organization hampered by injuries over the last two years.

The Tigers brought in two new pitchers, Shaun Anderson and Adonis Medina. Anderson joins the Gwangju club on a $1-million deal having played predominantly in the minors last season. Medina, who saw some MLB action with the New York Mets this year, will earn up to $636,000.

The Landers signed left-hander Kirk McCarty, who made his MLB debut with the Cleveland Guardians this year, for $775,000, with the Heroes spending the maximum $1 million on former Texas Rangers pitcher Ariel Jurado.

The Dinos also spent the maximum on former Washington Nationals pitcher Erick Fedde, as did the Eagles on veteran right-hander Burch Smith. The Wiz signed Beau Sulser, who made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates this year, for $740,000.

The Landers and the Dinos still have some time to work out their final signings, with the 2023 KBO season set to begin on April 1 next year.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]