The St. Louis Cardinals have signed Korean reliever Seung-Hwan Oh to a one-year contract with a club option for a second year.
Oh is an eleven year veteran of both the Korean Baseball Organization and the Japanese Central League. Oh pitched very well for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan last season, with a 2.73 ERA to go along with 41 saves.
Cardinals' GM John Mozeliak announces the club has signed Korean RHP Seung-hwan Oh #STLCards pic.twitter.com/KsHPOHEOaa
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) January 11, 2016
We felt like we wanted to do something to ramp it up,” general manager John Mozeliak said Monday at a news conference to announce the signing of Oh to a one-year contract with a club option for a second year. “He really matched up well for what we were trying to accomplish.”
Over the course of his career, Oh has pitched to a 1.81 ERA, with a 5.18 K/BB ratio in addition to amassing 357 career saves. While his numbers are impressive, Oh is expected to come over to St. Louis as a setup man for closer Trevor Rosenthal.
The 33-year-old Oh, who had 41 saves last year, said through an interpreter that playing in the major leagues has long been a dream and now “the dream comes true.”
“I’ve achieved everything in Korea and Japan as a closer,” Oh said. “I wanted a new environment and was looking for motivation.”
Rosenthal set a franchise record in 2015 with 48 saves after collecting 45 saves as the Cardinals closer in 2014.
“Success in the postseason is based on having a very strong bullpen,” Mozeliak said. “You look at that core and you have to have a lot of confidence going forward.”
Oh’s contact could reach up to $5 million if the option is picked up for the 2017 season.
Mozeliak said that while there are some other things he could do, he’s happy taking his current team to spring training. “Ultimately, I’m not all that bullish on necessarily chasing something right now.”
