Report: Rangers Submit Top Bid for Korean Pitcher
According to multiple sources on Twitter, the Rangers submitted the highest bid for Korean pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong. While earlier reports had Minnesota with the high bid, new reports are coming out of Korean media outlets that it was, in actuality, the Rangers.
Yang, 26, is a left-handed pitcher with a fastball that sits in the low-to-mid 90s, and was the top pitcher in the Korean League last season. While his 4.25 ERA doesn't sound too impressive on the surface, it's well below the league average for a hitter-friendly league, and depending on where you look, is projected to be something of a mid-to-back of the rotation starter.
In other words, he could certainly fill a hole that the Rangers will undoubtedly be looking to fill over the winter, and potentially at a cheaper price than many of the free agent or trade targets that were previously on the radar.
According to reports, the posting fee is believed to be around $1.5 million. If the Kia Tigers accept the amount, the Rangers would then have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Yang, a process many Rangers fans may remember from the way in which the club acquired Yu Darvish prior to the 2012 season.
Only time will tell, but if things fall into place, the Rangers may be able to cross another item off of their offseason to-do list, an item that figured to be of significant importance in relation to the other items on that list.