Right-handed pitcher Butch Smith, 34, who was released by the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO last year after just one game due to injury, has made a surprise appearance on the opening day roster of Major League Baseball in a Miami Marlins uniform.

The Marlins named Smith to their 26-man roster for the 2024 season opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 29 at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. Miami acquired Smith from the Tampa Bay Rays a day earlier for cash considerations.

Smith, who signed a minor league contract with Tampa Bay in January, was traded to Miami, which guaranteed him a 40-man roster spot with a clause in the contract that allows other teams to explore interest. Miami agreed to pay Smith a $1 million salary with $250,000 in incentives. Miami needed bullpen help with one of its main bullpen arms, Dominican Republic right-hander Juanasca Brazovan, on the disabled list due to visa issues, and Smith was a surprise addition to the opening 26-man roster.

According to MLB.com,

Miami had been interested in Smith all along. 안전놀이터 Smith played for Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League last winter, where Miami bench coach Luis Urueta and bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda were the team’s general manager and manager, respectively. They were well aware of Smith’s status, and the Miami front office kept an eye on him.

Tampa Bay lost out on Smith, signing him to a minor league deal first, but Miami kept an eye on him throughout spring training. Smith posted one hold in six exhibition games, but struggled with an 8.44 ERA. In 5 1/3 innings, he allowed five runs on 12 hits (one home run) with two walks and five strikeouts.

Tampa Bay kept Smith on the 40-man roster, and Miami, who had been eyeing him, acquired him in a cash deal. “The most important thing for him is health, he’s had an extensive and winding injury history, but he’s healthy now, and he’s got a really good ball,” Miami general manager Peter Bendix said.

Despite the lackluster performance in exhibition games, the team is confident that Smith can be utilized as long as he is healthy. “We’ve been watching him since the offseason,” Bendix said, “and we’ve been looking for a chance to get him, and we like his new repertoire with the slider and the cutter. He’s been very effective when healthy,” Bendix said.

Smith, who made his big league debut with the San Diego Padres in 2013,

He has spent five seasons with the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics, going 5-11 with a 6.03 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 102 games (13 starts and 191 innings) through 2021. Despite having good stuff, he was a glass-half-full pitcher who was plagued by injuries to his elbow, forearm, groin, side, and fingers.

He came to Korea in 2022 after playing for the Seibu Lions in Nippon Professional Baseball, signing with Hanwha last year for $1 million under the new foreign player cap. Hanwha did double and triple medical checks, but Yoo was still Yoo. He was selected to start the opening game against the Gochuk Kiwoom Heroes on April 1 after throwing a 155-kilometer fastball in an exhibition game, but he was pulled after three pitches due to shoulder pain. Three hits, one walk, two strikeouts and two runs on 60 pitches in 2⅔ innings in the opening game were all he had left in the KBO.

He underwent a medical examination and was found to have a micro-damage to his shoulder muscle that didn’t affect his pitching. 토토사이트 추천 He underwent an injection and played catch, but didn’t progress beyond that, and Hanwha, already weak on the mound, couldn’t afford to keep him around for long. They immediately signed Ricardo Sanchez as a replacement pitcher and released him after just one game.

Disappointed Hanwha fans bombarded Smith on social media.

“Good luck in shithole country,” he replied to the messages. Not only was he released after just one game, but he was also criticized for his Korean slurs.

Smith went on to pitch in the Dominican Winter League last winter, where he pitched all 12 games in relief, striking out 20 in 14 1/3 innings with a 2.51 ERA. He was traded to Tampa Bay and then to Miami, where he earned a spot on the opening day roster, marking his return to the big leagues after a three-year absence.