KBO's Twins part ways with pitcher Wilson

All News 14:57 November 25, 2020

SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean baseball club LG Twins said Wednesday they will not bring back American starting pitcher Tyler Wilson next year.

Cha Myeong-seok, general manager for the Seoul-based Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team, said the Twins will try to retain right-hander Casey Kelly and first baseman Roberto Ramos.

In this file photo from Nov. 5, 2020, Tyler Wilson of the LG Twins pitches against the Doosan Bears in the top of the first inning of Game 2 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)

"Because of his health issues, we've told Wilson that we won't re-sign him," Cha said. "We're looking for a new foreign pitcher to replace him."

Wilson went 33-19 with a 3.40 ERA in his three KBO seasons with the Twins. This year, Wilson struggled with right elbow problems in the second half of the year and finished at 10-8 with a 4.42 ERA in 25 starts.

The Twins have released their rights for Wilson and made him a free agent. If they had held on to his rights, Wilson wouldn't have been able to sign with another KBO club for five years without LG's consent.

In this file photo from Nov. 2, 2020, Casey Kelly of the LG Twins celebrates the completion of the top of the fourth inning against the Kiwoom Heroes in the Wild Card game of the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)

Kelly has been with the Twins since 2019. He was 15-7 with a 3.32 ERA this year, with an 11-1 record and a 2.22 ERA in the second half.

Ramos set a franchise record with 38 home runs in 2020, his first in the KBO, despite being limited to 117 out of 144 games with injuries. Playing on a US$500,000 deal, Ramos was one of the best bargains in the KBO this year.

KBO teams are permitted three foreign players each, with no more than two pitchers.