LG Twins ace Casey Kelly signs on for a sixth year in Seoul

The LG Twins have re-signed ace pitcher Casey Kelly, who carried the team to a historic Korean Series win from the mound earlier this month, on a one-year deal worth up to $1.5 million.

LG Twins' Casey Kelly pitches during the title-winning Game 5 of the 2023 Korean Series on Nov. 13. [NEWS1]

The LG Twins have re-signed ace pitcher Casey Kelly, who carried the team to a historic Korean Series win from the mound earlier this month, on a one-year deal worth up to $1.5 million.

Kelly, 34, will return to the Seoul team for a sixth season, the club announced on Thursday. He will earn an annual salary of $800,000 with a $400,000 signing bonus and up to $300,000 in incentives.

The right-hander was the winning pitcher for the Twins’ Game 5 victory, giving up just one run in five innings of work and allowing his club to take an insurmountable lead to lock in the final game for the title that had long-eluded the Seoul team.

"With 68 wins in the KBO, Kelly is a proven pitcher. We feel confident going into the 2024 season knowing Kelly will be a part of our starting rotation," the Twins said, according to Yonhap. "Since he regained his form in the second half of last season, we're looking forward to seeing what he can bring in 2024."

Kelly had a tough start to the 2023 season, which he ended with a 3.83 ERA over 10 wins and seven losses. There were rumors that he would be dropped by the Twins after recording a 5.66 ERA over his first six starts in April.

The American pitcher joined the Twins in 2019, picking up 14 wins and 12 losses with a 2.55 ERA in his debut season. He came to the KBO from the minor leagues, fresh off a stint with the San Francisco Giants when he was briefly called up to the MLB team as a relief pitcher in 2018, recording a 3.04 ERA over seven appearances.

He debuted in the major leagues with the San Diego Padres in 2012, earning a 6.21 ERA over two wins and three losses, but moved between the minors and majors for the rest of his time in the States before heading to Korea in 2019.

The KBO enforces a $1-million salary cap on foreign players when they first join local teams, but clubs are free to offer deals above that limit if a player returns for additional seasons.

Kelly’s soon-to-be sixth season with the Twins marks the longest stint of any foreign player on the Seoul team.

Fellow American Twins pitcher Adam Plutko joined the team in 2021 with a career 2.40 ERA over 26 wins and eight losses but was absent from the club’s Korean Series win due to a hip injury. Plutko earlier announced that he would seek to return to the MLB following the 2023 season after two years in Korea.

Hitter Austin Dean earlier re-signed for a second season with the Twins after his freshman KBO year, ending it with a .313 batting average, 23 home runs and 95 RBIs.

While the Twins have already filled two of their three foreign player spots, the club also has the most players in the KBO free agent market this year. Twins pitchers Im Chan-kyu and Ham Deok-ju and infielders Kim Min-sung and Oh Ji-hwan all fall into category B, the middle of the three categories players are assigned to.

None of the free agents from the Twins have announced new deals for 2024 as of press time.

BY MARY YANG AND JIM BULLEY [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]