New SSG Landers pitcher Drew VerHagen indicators his contract with the Korea Baseball Group membership, on this picture offered by the Landers on Dec. 6. Yonhap
The SSG Landers introduced their signing of ex-major league pitcher Drew VerHagen on Saturday, simply as their former workers ace Drew Anderson reportedly went again to the massive leagues.
The Landers mentioned VerHagen, 35, agreed to a one-year deal value as much as $900,000 — $750,000 in wage, $50,000 as a signing bonus and $100,000 in incentives.
The fitting-hander was chosen within the fourth spherical of the 2012 Main League Baseball (MLB) draft by the Detroit Tigers and made his huge league debut with the identical membership two years later.
He remained with the Tigers till the 2019 season earlier than pitching for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan’s Nippon Skilled Baseball (NPB) from 2020 to 2021.
VerHagen returned to the USA to pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022 and 2023, after which had his second tour of obligation with the Fighters over the previous two seasons.
In 206 profession MLB video games, together with eight begins, VerHagen had an 18-12 file with a 4.98 ERA, plus 234 strikeouts and 115 walks in 281 2/3 innings.
He had a a lot totally different function in Triple-A, with 56 of his 76 outings there coming as a starter. He had a 20-20 file with a 3.98 ERA, together with 258 strikeouts and 103 walks in 323 1/3 innings in Triple-A.
Throughout 4 NPB seasons, VerHagen went 18-19 with a 3.68 ERA, 278 strikeouts and 78 walks in 283 1/3 frames.
In 2025, VerHagen pitched in additional video games for the Fighter’s minor league affiliate (15) than their NPB membership (six). He went 3-3 with a 6.08 ERA in these NPB video games.
The Landers described VerHagen, listed at 198 centimeters, as an aggressive pitcher who can overpower hitters along with his fastball and 4 high quality secondary pitches: a slider, changeup, curveball and sweeper. They added the right-hander can contact 155 kph along with his fastball and might keep excessive velocity deep into video games.
“We like his means to command his pitches and pound the strike zone with precision,” the Landers mentioned. “He has the poise to work his manner out of hassle, and that is an enormous asset. Given his substantial MLB and NPB expertise, we count on him to eat up a ton of innings in our beginning rotation.”
Korea Baseball Group (KBO) can signal a most two foreign-born pitchers and, beginning in 2026, an extra pitcher from an Asian nation or Australia. The Landers signed Japanese pitcher Shota Takeda as their Asian quota participant in November, and VerHagen is basically changing Anderson, who has reportedly signed a one-year contract with the Tigers.
Reviews out of Detroit on Friday (native time) mentioned Anderson’s deal was pending a bodily.
Anderson, 31, was some of the dominant starters within the KBO throughout his two seasons right here after becoming a member of the Landers in the midst of the 2024 marketing campaign. He had a mixed ERA of two.91 in 287 1/3 innings with a 23-10 file and 403 strikeouts — essentially the most within the KBO in that two-year stretch, 98 greater than the subsequent pitcher, former Hanwha Eagles ace Ryan Weiss, who has reportedly signed with the Houston Astros.
In 2025, Anderson completed second within the KBO with 245 strikeouts, additionally the second-highest complete for a season in KBO historical past. The one pitcher to complete forward of him, Cody Ponce of the Eagles with a league-record 252, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this week.
Anderson was with the Tigers in spring coaching in 2024 however solely pitched in Triple-A earlier than transferring to the KBO. Previous to that, Anderson had spent two years with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp within the NPB and logged 19 MLB video games from 2017 to 2021 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox — with a quick cease in Australia thrown in between.
The opposite foreign-born pitcher for the Landers in 2025 was half-Korean right-hander Mitch White, who went 11-4 with a 2.87 ERA in 24 begins.
