Foreign trouble maker who failed in Korea to sign WS winner's contract! Why did Dodgers take him

*This content was translated by AI.

Cole Irvin (32), who played for the Doosan Bears last year, joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, the winner of the World Series.

U.S. media MLB Trade Rumors said on the 2nd (Korea Standard Time), "The Dodgers signed a minor league contract with left-hander Irvin. It is a contract that includes invitations to the Major League Spring Camp," he said.

Irvin is a familiar player to KBO fans as he played for Doosan last year. It received a lot of expectations for its fast ball with a maximum speed of 153 kilometers per hour and excellent control, but the result was close to failure. He failed to play a role as an ace for foreigners with 8 wins and 12 losses with a 4.48 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 144 ⅔ innings in 28 regular-season games.

Rather, it became controversial outside of baseball due to attitude issues. In the home opener against the Samsung Lions in March, they shouted at Park Byung-ho and had a war of nerves, and in the home game in May, they were treated as trouble makers by hitting pitcher coach Park Jung-bae's shoulder and being replaced during the replacement process.

As he has various experiences in both starting and bullpen in the Major League, he is expected to play as an all-weather resource in the Dodgers. Irvin went through four major league teams and recorded 134 games (93 starts) with 28 wins and 40 losses with a 4.54 ERA and 434 strikeouts in 593 innings. The 2021-2022 Athletics also have full-time selection experience with more than 178 innings for the second consecutive year.

The Dodgers' strategy is that the more pitchers there are, the better. Last year, the Dodgers confirmed their regular No. 1 ranking at a time when injuries continued throughout the season regardless of starters and bullpens, and they were late despite their overwhelming power.

This year, Yamamoto Yoshinobu, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Otani Shohei, Emmett Sheehan and Sasaki Rocky look perfect with six starters. However, Ohtani is in his first full-time season after his second elbow surgery, and Glasnow and Sasaki are always at risk of injury.

MLB Trade Rumors said, "In anticipation of another championship in 2026, the Dodgers try to thicken the pitching base as much as possible," adding, "If Irvin regains his old skills to some extent, it can be a useful resource to help manage Dodgers pitchers throughout the regular season as a long man or alternative starter. He also explained, "Given the Dodgers' past performance in fostering pitchers, there is a possibility that Irvin will also succeed steadily."

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*This content was translated by AI.