"Korea is the greatest blessing of my life": Ryan Weiss, who also received a call from Hanwha Eagles… ultimately chooses to stay in MLB → Signs 2.7 billion won deal with San Diego Padres, joins same team as Song Seong-min

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Ryan Weiss's (29) American challenge did not end after a bitter first year in Major League Baseball (MLB). The former Hanwha Eagles pitcher has set aside the possibility of returning to the KBO League and joined the San Diego Padres.

U.S. media outlet ESPN reported on the 11th (Korean time), "The Padres have signed Weiss to a one-year contract. The deal includes a club option for the 2028 season."

The guaranteed amount is $1.85 million (approximately 2.5 billion won). The 2028 club option is $4 million (5.3 billion won) and can rise to a maximum of $5.5 million (approximately 7.3 billion won) depending on performance. It was known that Weiss had interest from approximately six MLB teams, in addition to the possibility of returning to the KBO League, including Hanwha. Ultimately, he chose to stay in the United States.

This is also a significant first contract in this winter's MLB free agent market. According to the Associated Press, Weiss became the first player among 183 MLB free agents on the market to have his signing officially announced.

Weiss stepped onto the big league stage he had dreamed of with the Houston Astros this year. Debuting on March 27, he left a strong impression in his first three games with one run allowed and seven strikeouts over six innings. Weiss was only the second pitcher in Houston organization history to pitch five or more innings while closing out all of his first three debut games, following Chris Zachery in 1963.

However, his momentum stalled afterward. In nine regular season games (as the second starter), he finished with a 0-3 record and an ERA of 7.62, allowing 35 hits and 20 walks over 26 innings while recording 30 strikeouts. His WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) also soared to 2.12. He was designated for assignment (DFA) in June and cleared waivers to drop down to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Nevertheless, he did not simply end the season. In Triple-A, he recorded a 5-5 record with an ERA of 5.42 over 22 games (13 starts). While his overall stats were not eye-catching, his late-season resurgence was impressive. In his last four games, he allowed three earned runs over 19⅔ innings for an ERA of 1.37, and in his final appearance, he pitched 8⅓ scoreless innings. ESPN also noted that he allowed only two runs during his final 16⅔ innings.

The Padres bet on this resurgence. This year, the Padres secured the National League (NL) Wild Card No. 1 seed with a regular season record of 91 wins and 71 losses. They also achieved their first consecutive postseason appearance in three years in franchise history. They defeated the Chicago Cubs 2-0 in the Wild Card Series but were eliminated by the Milwaukee Brewers 1-3 in the Division Series.

For the Padres, whose starting rotation was shaky throughout this season, Weiss represents a land of opportunity to compete for a starting spot again. ESPN reported, "The Padres have spots to fill at both ends of their starting rotation and plan to give Weiss a chance to compete for one of them."

There is also a familiar face. Song Seong-min (30), who previously played for the KBO League Kiwoom Heroes, is already on the San Diego Padres roster. Song signed a four-year, $15 million (approximately 20 billion won) contract with the Padres in December last year to enter the U.S. He debuted in the big leagues this season, recording a .191 batting average, one home run, 17 RBIs, 22 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases in 78 games. Next year, he will prepare for the season wearing the same uniform as Weiss, who is also from the KBO League.

For Weiss, Korea was a special stage that allowed him to return to the Major Leagues. When he joined Hanwha in June 2024 as an injury replacement foreign player for Ricardo Sanchez, his contract term was only six weeks with a total value of $100,000 (approximately 100 million won). However, he recorded a 5-5 record with an ERA of 3.73 in 16 games and successfully renegotiated his contract.

In 2025, he grew into a complete ace-level pitcher. He posted a 16-5 record with an ERA of 2.87 over 30 regular season games, striking out 207 batters in 178⅔ innings. Alongside Cody Ponce, he formed the first single-season, single-team 200-strikeout duo in KBO League history and contributed to Hanwha's Korea Series appearance for the first time in 19 years.

Using that performance as a springboard, he signed an MLB contract with Houston and actually achieved his big league debut. Although his first challenge ended after nine games, he rebounded in Triple-A and secured another Major League contract.

When Weiss left Hanwha, he expressed affection for Daejeon and Hanwha fans, stating, "The past two years in Korea have been one of the greatest blessings of my life. Korea will always remain within me."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original