Rookie left-hander Pat Dean reportedly signed a one-year, $900,000 deal with the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization, according to MyKBO.net’s Dan Kurtz.
Dean made his major league debut with the Twins in 2016, racking up a 6.28 ERA and 5.20 FIP over 67 1/3 innings between April and September. He fared little better in Triple-A Rochester, working a 5.56 ERA and 2.58 K/BB rate in 16 starts. The Twins called him up a second time in August after seeing three of their pitchers hit the disabled list, using the 27-year-old as bullpen filler through the remainder of the season. The lefty was outrighted, along with Tommy Milone, Andrew Albers, James Beresford and Logan Schafer on October 17.
The KBO might skew more toward hitters than struggling pitchers, but Dean won’t be the first former MLB pitcher in its ranks. He’ll join former White Sox hurler Hector Noesi, who pitched to a 3.51 ERA for the Tigers in 2016, as well as former Dodgers outfielder Roger Bernadina. According to the Yonhap News Agency, Dean is slated to replace right-hander Zeke Spruill, who completed his one-year contract with the Tigers after going 10-13 with a 5.33 ERA in 147 innings.
