South Korean reliever Woo Suk Go is nearing an settlement with the Padres, studies Jon Heyman of the New York Publish (X hyperlink). It seems to be a serious league contract, as Heyman suggests Go might function San Diego’s nearer subsequent season.
Go, a 25-year-old righty, has pitched elements of seven seasons within the Korea Baseball Group. He has labored as a pure reliever all through that point, working because the nearer for the LG Twins for the previous 5 years. After struggling throughout his first two seasons as an adolescent, Go has been a strong bullpen arm for a half-decade.
He has rattled off 4 seasons with a sub-4.00 ERA, together with three campaigns permitting fewer than 2.20 earned runs per 9. Go surpassed 30 saves in every of 2019, ’21 and ’22. He has fanned greater than 26% of batters confronted in every of the final 5 years, topping the 30% mark within the final two seasons.
Whereas Go has constantly proven the flexibility to overlook bats, he hasn’t all the time been across the strike zone. He has walked greater than 10% of opposing hitters in 4 of his seven seasons. Go issued free passes to an alarming 11.6% of batters confronted final 12 months, contributing to a 3.68 ERA that made for extra of a strong than distinctive platform exhibiting.
Public scouting studies have typically pegged Go as a probable center reliever on the large league degree. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs writes that Go leans totally on a mid-90s fastball and low-90s cutter whereas often mixing in a curveball. That’s an intriguing arsenal, however the fringy management might make him a danger in higher-leverage spots.
San Diego has been one of many sport’s most aggressive groups in concentrating on gamers making the soar from Asian skilled leagues. They not too long ago signed lefty Yuki Matsui to a five-year, $28MM pact as he came to visit from Japan’s Nippon Skilled Baseball. It appears unlikely Go would match that form of deal, however the Friars are clearly intrigued by his youth and swing-and-miss potential.
With Josh Hader, Nick Martinez and Luis García hitting free company, the Padres have Matsui and Robert Suarez (one other former NPB signee) as their prime two leverage relievers. Go, assuming a contract is finalized, might be a part of that blend alongside righty Enyel De Los Santos — whom San Diego acquired from the Guardians in alternate for Scott Barlow this winter.
Along with what they’d pay Go, San Diego would owe a launch payment to the LG Twins underneath the MLB/KBO posting system. If the full assure is lower than $25MM, the posting payment can be 20% of the contract’s worth. If the assure topped $25MM, they’d owe 17.5% of the subsequent $25MM. They’d owe 15% on any spending past $50MM, however it’s extremely unlikely that Go acquired a deal approaching that degree.
