“I got the attention of two major league clubs.”
John Paul Morosi, who is interested in Asia, said on his X late at night on the 21st (Korean time), “Kium Heroes plans to reconstruct the roster. I will not offer left-hander Enmanuel de Heysus a contract to return to the 2025 season.”
John Morosi went on to say, “Heysus is an FA, and he has already received attention from two major league teams. He could even sign from the KBO.” If Morosi’s claim is true, it means that Kiwoom is giving up Heysus’ right to hold the 2025 season. 안전놀이터
On the same day, Heyesus wrote on his Instagram story, “Thank you for your support this season. I really appreciate it. I love you and thank you.” He did not make it clear that he was leaving Kiwoom. However, there is also no suggestion that he will be with Kiwoom next year.
The 10 KBO teams must notify foreign players of their contracts or renew contracts by the 25th. However, if they hold the right to hold foreign players’ contracts, they cannot sign contracts with KBO teams without consent for the next five years. Therefore, foreign players with good skills are often notified of their contracts.
Heissus recorded 13 wins and 11 losses with an earned run average of 3.68 in 30 games this season. While playing 171.1 innings, he set 20 quality starts. It is natural that Kiwoom offers a contract renewal with a WHIP of 1.25 and a hit rate of 0.258.
As a left-hander, he is quite attractive. His ball control is not very sophisticated, but he is not a pitcher who throws balls overboard. Based on Statistics Korea, a baseball statistics website, he freely plays change-up, two-seam, and slider at a speed of 148.4 kilometers or over 150 kilometers on average.
There is no reason for Kiwoom to give up Heyesus’ right to hold. Anyway, it is true that Heyesus is attracting attention from two major league teams, so there is a high possibility that he will leave. It would be even stranger if the 28-year-old Heyesus does not have a major league dream. He only pitched in two games with the Miami Marlins in 2023 with an 11.37 ERA. He has 49 wins and 45 losses with an ERA of 4.01 in 178 minor league games.
If Heysus leaves, it is urgent for Kiwoom to find a foreign pitcher who can play as much as Heysus. It is not easy to find a foreign pitcher who can play 170 innings and 20 quality starts. The Korean team has distanced itself from other free agents in 2024-2025. The team has also distanced itself from right-handed Moon Sung-hyun who joined the free agent market. In fact, the only factor that determines the team’s upgrade of its capacity next year is foreign players.
In the case of Kiwoom’s other foreign pitcher Ariel Furado, the industry atmosphere is that he is interested not only in the United States but also in Japan. In the case of foreign hitter Yasiel Puig, he seemed likely to join the team, but it is not easy to decide. At this point, foreign player contracts are not easy.
