SEOUL, The SSG Landers announced Tuesday they have signed former major league pitcher Robert Dugger.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team said Dugger has agreed to a one-year deal that could pay him up to US$900,000. He will make $650,000 in guaranteed salary and $100,000 in signing bonus. He can earn up to $150,000 in incentives.
KBO teams can each sign up to three foreign players, but no more than two pitchers. The Landers have decided to part ways with left-hander Kirk McCarty after one season in the KBO and are looking to bring back Roenis Elias for another season. They finished the 2023 season with outfielder Guillermo Heredia as their one foreign position player.
In this Getty Images file photo from May 26, 2021, Robert Dugger, then of the Seattle Mariners, pitches against the Oakland Athletics during a Major League Baseball regular season game at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, California.
Dugger, 28, has logged 27 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds from 2019 to 2022. He posted a 0-7 record and a 7.17 ERA over 86 2/3 innings.
He spent the entire 2023 season with the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. In 29 starts, Dugger went 7-10 with a 4.31 ERA, recording 143 strikeouts against 60 walks in 146 1/3 innings. The right-hander led the Pacific Coast League in ERA and strikeouts.
According to Baseball Savant website, Dugger averaged 89.4 miles per hour (mph) with his four-seam fastball in his last MLB season in 2022 and threw four other types of pitches: changeup, sinker, curveball and slider. In 2020, however, Dugger's fastball averaged 92.1 mph.
The Landers said Dugger throws a heavy fastball and can attack hitters with a wide variety of pitches. They also noted that he has a wealth of experience in starting and doesn't have a glaring weakness in his game.
Source: Yonhap News Agency