In this file photo from Sept. 8, 2024, then Kiwoom Heroes starter Ariel Jurado pitches against the Kia Tigers during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – The 2024 South Korean baseball runners-up Samsung Lions acquired two pitchers on Friday to bolster their starting rotation.
The Lions said they signed Panamanian right-hander Ariel Jurado to a one-year contract worth US$1 million, including a signing bonus of $300,000. Jurado spent the past two seasons with another Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club, the Kiwoom Heroes.
The Lions inked right-hander Choi Won-tae to a four-year contract worth up to 7 billion won ($4.9 million), with a total salary of 3.4 billion won, a signing bonus of 2.4 billion won and a maximum 1.2 billion won available in incentives.
Jurado, 28, went 21-16 with a 3.01 ERA in 2023 and 2024 with the Heroes, while leading all KBO pitchers with 374 innings pitched over that stretch. This year, Jurado ranked second in the KBO in innings pitched (190 1/3), fourth in ERA (3.36) and fourth in strikeouts (169).
The Lions noted that Jurado has performed well at their hitter-friendly home stadium, Daegu Samsung Lions Park. He has a 2.91 ERA and a 3-1 record in five starts there for his career.
New Samsung Lions pitcher Choi Won-tae (R) poses with his general manager Lee Jong-yeol after signing a four-year contract with the club, in this photo provided by the Lions on Dec. 6, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
With the Jurado signing, the Lions have completed their foreign player puzzle for 2025, having earlier re-signed pitcher Denyi Reyes and infielder Lewin Diaz.
The Heroes had earlier decided not to bring back Jurado despite his strong performance over the past two years so that young, homegrown pitchers would have more opportunities.
The Lions also dipped into the domestic free agency pool and signed the 27-year-old Choi to be their No. 4 starter behind Reyes, Jurado and incumbent ace Won Tae-in.
Since becoming a full-time starter in 2017 while with the Heroes, Choi has logged 1,073 1/3 innings, the third-highest total in the KBO in that span. He has made at least 20 starts and thrown 100 or more innings in each of the past eight seasons.
He has a career record of 78-58 with a 4.36 ERA. He was with the LG Twins in the past two years, and won the 2023 Korean Series title with them.
The Lions said they were high on Choi’s ability to induce groundballs with his deep arsenal of pitches: four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cutter, slider, curve and changeup.
“I’m so happy to be joining such a prestigious club. I have a few friends on this team and I am sure they’ll help me get settled in,” Choi said in a statement released by the Lions. “I was surprised that they finished in second place this year, and I heard they had great vibes in the dugout all season. I want to be a part of that.”
Choi said the key to his adjustments will be to limit the damage at his new home stadium.
“I’ll try my best to help the team win the championship,” Choi added. “Personally, I want to eat up a lot of innings and toss at least 150 innings every season here.”
(Yonhap)
