Overseas baseball has become a real option for players looking to continue their careers or get their careers back on track, and a former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher is choosing that route.
Young players have been able to get back into Major League Baseball after proving they can pitch at a high-level in the Korean Baseball Organization and Nippon Professional Baseball.
According to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap New Agency, former Phillies' top prospect, Connor Seabold, has signed a deal with the Samsung Lions of the KBO.
Yoo reports his contract is for $1 million broken down as an $800K salary, $100K signing bonus and $100K in incentives.
Seabold was selected by Philadelphia in the third round of 2017 MLB Draft. He started climbing the minor league ranks pretty quickly, getting promoted to Double-A in 2018.
By 2019, he cracked the Phillies' Top-30 prospects list and had a 3-1 record with a 2.25 ERA in seven starts at the Double-A level. An oblique injury limited his appearances during the year.
Philadelphia then traded him to the Boston Red Sox, along with Nick Pivetta, in August of 2020 in exchange for Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree and cash.
He made his Major League debut with the Red Sox in 2021 and started five games for them in 2022. Seabold went 0–4 with an 11.29 ERA and was designated for assignment January 2023.
Prior to the start of last season, Boston traded him to the Colorado Rockies. He was able to get more opportunities there but also struggled, posting a 1-7 record with a 7.52 ERA across 27 appearances and 13 starts.
Seabold was then released by the Rockies following the year and has now decided to try and rejuvenate his career overseas in the KBO.
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