20 wins, 200 strikeouts, new KBO history…”SD will inquire about signing Pedi”

After 37 years in the KBO, Eric Peddie (30-NC), a 20-win, 200-strikeouts pitcher, is attracting interest from Major League Baseball. The San Diego Padres are the favorite to sign him after a two-year absence.

In a recent article titled “San Diego Padres’ Offseason Outlook,” MLBTR, which specializes in major league transactions, highlighted the Padres’ need to bolster their starting rotation.

The Padres, who boast a number of star players including Fernando Tatis Jr, Zander Bogaerts, Juan Soto, and Manny Machado, were touted as a contender to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West heading into the 2023 season, but finished third (82-80).

San Diego’s starting rotation was one of the strongest in the league this season. Blake Snell and Michael Wacka led the way with 14 wins apiece, followed by Joe Musgrove with 10, and Darvish Yu and Seth Lugo with eight apiece. San Diego’s starting ERA (3.69) was tops in the National League.

The problem is that both Snell and Lugo are eligible for free agency in the upcoming offseason. The best-case scenario for San Diego would be to retain them both, but the local media doesn’t think it’s likely. The pitcher mentioned was Pedi of the KBO’s NC. Ryu Hyun-jin, 온라인카지노 whose contract is expiring with the Toronto Blue Jays, is also on the list.

“San Diego needs to add two or three starting pitchers in the offseason,” MLBTR said, “with Michael Lorenzen, Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, James Paxton, Martin Perez and Hyun-Jin Ryu in the lower tier of the free agent market. Luis Severino is a candidate for a one-year deal, while swingman Jacob Younis could be pushed into a starting role on a two-year deal.”

The media then turned its attention to Asia. Not Japan, but South Korea’s KBO. “San Diego has been actively pursuing players from Asia lately,” MLBTR said, “and will likely inquire about Eric Pedi, who played for the Washington Nationals. He posted a 2.13 ERA in 28 games in his first season in South Korea (as of Sept. 9).”

Peddy pitched six innings of one-run ball against the Changwon Hanwha on April 10, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out six to earn his 20th win and 204th strikeout of the season. It was the fifth 20-win, 200-strikeout season in KBO history.

It took him 37 years to accomplish the feat, following Sammi Jang Myung-bu (30 wins, 220 strikeouts) in 1983, Lotte Choi Dong-won (27 wins, 223 strikeouts) in 1984, Samsung Kim Si-jin (25 wins, 201 strikeouts) in 1985, and Hae-tae Sun Dong-yeol (24 wins, 214 strikeouts) in 1986. It is the first time a foreign player has done so.

Pedi made his major league debut with the Nats in 2017 and went 21-33 with a 5.41 ERA in 102 games (88 starts) over six seasons. After going 6-13 with a 5.81 ERA in 27 games in 2022, he became an NCM last December for a total of $1 million. It will be interesting to see if he can make it back to the majors after a two-year absence by being selected by San Diego.