The Orioles officially announced the signing of South Korean right-hander Suk-min Yoon this afternoon. As it was reported late last week, he agreed to a three-year, $5.75 million contract.
The pre-signing physical was the last thing standing in the way of the deal becoming official today. And that has been anything but a formality with the Orioles this winter, as deals with Grant Balfour and Tyler Colvin were both nixed due to issues raised during their physical exams. However, Yoon apparently checked out just fine, even though he dealt with some shoulder issues last season.
Here’s an announcement from Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette:
Yoon, 27, posted a 3.19 ERA over nine seasons with the KIA Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization and took home Most Valuable Player honors in 2011. He saw his performance and velocity drop off after participating in the World Baseball Classic last year, posting a 4.00 ERA and a 76/28 K/BB ratio in 87 2/3 innings between the rotation and the bullpen. It’s not clear yet how the Orioles intend to use him.
