▲ In this UPI file photo from March 19, 2023, Roenis Elias of Cuba pitches against the United States in the bottom of the second inning of the semifinal game at the World Baseball Classic at LoanDepot Park in Miami. (Yonhap)
▲ SSG Landers manager Kim Won-hyong waits for the start of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 26, 2023. (Yonhap)

baseball club-pitcher

SSG Landers nearing deal with ex-MLB pitcher Elias

INCHEON, May 3 (Yonhap) -- The defending South Korean baseball champions SSG Landers are close to signing former major league pitcher Roenis Elias, manager Kim Won-hyong said Wednesday.

"The deal is not official yet but I can tell you we're close to getting it done," Kim told reporters before the Landers hosted the KT Wiz at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, some 30 kilometers west of Seoul. "He throws hard and he's been pitching on a regular basis in the minor league."

Once Elias signs his contract, he will replace injured Enny Romero, who has yet to pitch for the Landers after signing with them over the winter with shoulder problems.

"Elias wasn't initially on our list of players who could replace Romero, but for one reason or another, he is the last one left standing now," Kim said. "And we can no longer afford to wait around."

Elias, a 34-year-old left-hander from Cuba, has pitched in 133 major league games, 54 of them starts. He went 10-12 with a 3.85 ERA in 29 starts for the Seattle Mariners in 2014. But he wasn't able to match those numbers in following seasons, adding 12 more wins from 2015 to 2022 while also spending time with the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Nationals.

He has yet to appear in a big league game this year. In four starts for the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, Elias has gone 2-0 with a 5.48 ERA. He also represented Cuba at the World Baseball Classic in March.

The Landers' one other foreign pitcher, Kirk McCarty, is leading the rotation with a 2.70 ERA and a 2-1 record. However, the longtime staff ace Kim Kwang-hyun has struggled to a 5.00 ERA in four starts so far, and other homegrown hurlers Park Jong-hun (5.57 ERA) and Moon Seung-won (6.43 ERA) have also had issues.

Moon was demoted to the minors on Wednesday, a day after surrendering seven runs on nine hits in only 3 1/3 innings.

Prior to Wednesday's action, the Landers' starters ranked seventh among 10 teams in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with a combined 4.33 ERA.

Despite some pitching woes, the Landers were in second place at 15-10, one game behind the Lotte Giants.

KBO teams can each carry a maximum two foreign pitchers.

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