The Samsung Lions have made a decision. They are parting ways with longtime foreign pitcher David Buchanan (35).
According to our sources, Samsung plans to sign Denny Reyes (28) as a new foreign pitcher. The contract has been finalized and barring any unforeseen circumstances, an official announcement is expected. The move ends a four-year relationship with Buchanan that began with the 2020 season. Buchanan was the ace of a team that won 54 games (13.5 wins per year) in that span and was one of the top starting pitchers in the KBO. Last season, he went 12-8 with a 2.54 ERA in 188 innings pitched. He's been an atmosphere maker in the dugout.
His offseason re-signing was a struggle. When a Major League Baseball (MLB) team made an offer, an unexpected variable popped up. "I understand that Buchanan has been offered a two-year contract by the Cincinnati Reds," a foreign scout from Team A told me. Buchanan, who wanted to stay in Korea, informed Samsung of the MLB team's interest and demanded a multi-year contract. The KBO currently allows foreign players to sign multi-year contracts after their second year in the league, but it is unprecedented. 바카라사이트
Buchanan also faced a barrier. Given the league's salary cap for foreign players, the risk of multi-year contracts was an issue. In the KBO, the total contract value of three foreign players cannot exceed $4 million (5.2 billion won). The salary cap limit increases by $100,000 (130 million won) for each year of a foreign player's contract, but the effect is minimal. A long-term injury to a foreign player on a multi-year contract would be devastating to the organization. This is what Samsung was most concerned about.
After realizing that re-signing Buchanan would be difficult, Samsung looked for a replacement and found Reyes. Reyes is a right-handed pitcher from the Dominican Republic with a strong physique (1.93 meters tall and 115 kilograms). Last season, he appeared in nine big league games (three starts) for the New York Mets, going 2-2 with a 7.78 ERA. His MLB career (two years) is less impressive, with two losses and a 6.26 ERA. However, he has a lot of minor league experience. In his career (8 years), he has a 47-31 record with a 3.62 ERA, and a solid 1.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He spent his minor league career with the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.
"His fastball averages between 146 and 48 mph, and he has a good breaking ball and changeup," said a B team foreign scout. With Buchanan's departure, Samsung, which previously announced the signings of David McKinnon (bat) and Connor Seabold (pitch), now has three foreign player slots filled with new faces.