*This content was translated by AI.
Ryan Weiss (30, Houston Astros), who played an active role in the Hanwha Eagles last season, is likely to fail to make a soft landing on the U.S. stage. Above all, as Houston recruited Japanese pitcher Imai Tatsuya (28), the situation surrounding him seems to be changing rapidly. If you don't get such a chance in the Major League after the 2026 season, it would not be a surprise to meet Weiss again in Korea in the future.
MLB.com , the official website of the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB), said on the 2nd (Korea time) that "I-Mai agreed to a three-year, $54 million (about 78 billion won) contract with Houston. Depending on the incentives, the amount could increase up to 63 million dollars (about 91 billion won)."
At the same time, the media quoted Houston reporter Brian McTaggart's social network service (SNS) and predicted Houston's starting rotation due to Imai's recruitment. But Weiss's name was mentioned quite a bit later. It came in 10th, behind Hunter Brown, Imai, Christian Javier, Spencer Arrigetti, Lance McCullers Jr., Mike Burrows, Jason Alexander, J.P. Frans and Nate Pearson. In this order, we cannot help but rule out the possibility that Weiss will start this season in the minor leagues.
Weiss first established a relationship with South Korea in June 2024, when Hanwha Eagles recruited Ricardo Sanchez as an alternative foreign player to the injured list due to elbow pain. At that time, he signed a contract with Hanwha for a total of $100,000 ($12,000 down payment, $48,000 in annual salary, $40,000 in incentives) and took the mound in Daejeon. The contract lasted six weeks.
And Weiss performed better than expected. He took the mound in 16 games with a 5-5 record and a 3.73 ERA. In a total of 91 ⅔ innings, he recorded 77 hits (eight homers), 29 walks, and 43 runs (38 earned runs) with 98 strikeouts. Eventually, Hanwha reached out to Weiss again after the end of the 2024 season. Weiss was placed on the condition of up to $950,000 including $750,000 in guaranteed amount (150,000 down payment, 600,000 dollars per year) and $200,000 in incentives.
Weiss continued his strong performance in the 2025 season. He went 16-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 30 appearances. In a total of 178 ⅔ innings, he had 127 hits (13 home runs), 56 walks and 13 physical hits, 63 runs (57 earned runs) with 207 strikeouts. He built a foreign one-two punch with top ace Cody Ponce, who dominated the KBO league, contributing greatly to Hanwha's runner-up finish in the Korean Series.
After the end of the season, Weiss left Hanwha and returned to the U.S. stage. The Houston Astros reached out to him. It was a two-year contract of up to 10 million dollars (about 14.7 billion won). After being guaranteed $2.6 million (about 3.8 billion won) in the 2026 season, it is reported that the 2027 season option is included.
Before coming to Hanwha, Weiss took the mound in 132 games (47 starts) in five minor league seasons and recorded 17 wins, 14 losses and a 4.88 ERA. In 313 ⅓ innings, he struck out 294 and gave up 106 walks. The strikeout/walk ratio was 2.79, which was observed. In 2023, he played for Fubang Guardians, a Taiwanese professional baseball team, and experienced Asian baseball. There is no major league performance yet.
Of course, the Houston club is showing expectations for Weiss' recruitment. After recruiting Weiss, Houston general manager Dana Brown said, "The reason I like him is because he is dedicated," adding, "He went to Korea and succeeded in rebounding in his career." The speed was raised to 97 miles (156.1 kilometers). It also has a great second pitch, 94 miles (151.3 kilometers). I hope he will join the spring camp and compete for the starting rotation position," he stressed.
He then said, "There are two factors that I consider the most important as a starter. "The fact that the fastball is used very well and that it is large and strong," he said. "WICE has a tall height of 193 centimeters, strong shoulders, and a strong lower body. It also has durability. He also showed his strikeout and innings skills. He said, "We will have enough opportunities to pitch in the big leagues."
However, as Houston recently recruited Imai, another starting resource, attention is being paid to Weiss' future. Imai pitched in 24 games in the 2025 season, striking out 178 with a 10-5 record and a 1.92 ERA. Having accumulated double-digit wins for three consecutive years, he is said to have abundant potential. Weiss needs to be in the 26-man roster to spray the ball in the big league, but there seems to be no room at the moment. I can't help but think about the possibility of switching to a bullpen. What kind of performance will Weiss perform on in the 2026 season.
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
