It was funny because when I posted that Suk Min Yoon, the best available pitcher from Korea, was a free agent and coming to the major leagues I got questions on whether the post was a joke or not. Well it's not a joke as we learned today that Scott Boras will talk to the Yankees about Yoon this week as both the Yankees and Yoon have mutual interest.
Yoon is 27 so he is a true free agent and would not affect our international spending cap or anything like that and would not require a posting fee either. Yoon has been trying to be posted for three seasons now and his Korean team, the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization, refused to post their pitcher.
Yoon posted a 4.00 ERA in 87.2 IP with 76 strike outs this season while walking 26 batters in mostly relief. Yoon was sent to the bullpen because of an on again and off again shoulder injury that we should obviously be worried about before signing. Yoon was the MVP in 2011 though while throwing 172+ innings and also has World Baseball Classic and Olympic experience so it's not like we would be getting a complete unproven.
Yoon tops out at about 92 MPH with the fastball but has a hard slider and an above average changeup to keep batters off balance at the plate. Yoon has been the best Korean pitcher ever since the Dodgers Hyun Jin Ryu came to the states which will surely affect his asking price. Will his shoulder issues and lack of innings pitched in 2013 make him a full time reliever in the states or will he be a back end of the rotation starter? Personally I lean towards the former, which is why I initially say pass, but Scott Boras will surely push him as a starter.
You can look at Wei Yin Chen's contract of three years and $11,000,000 million and Hyun Jin Ryu's contract of six years and $36,000,000 as an idea of what Boras will likely be asking for Yoon. The Twins are early suitors for Yoon as well and at this point, if your asking me, they can have him.
