Former Cleveland Guardians Outfielder Signs in Korea

Former Cleveland Guardians outfielder Estevan Florial has agreed to sign with the Hanwha Eagles in Korea, via Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

Florial played in 36 games with the Guardians this past season, slashing .173/.264/.367 with three home runs and 11 RBI over 111 plate appearances.

Cleveland initially acquired Florial in a trade with the New York Yankees last December.

The 27-year-old actually got considerable playing time with the Guardians early on in 2024 and was a full-time starter through the end of May before Cleveland finally decided to pull the plug.

Florial originally signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2015.

The Dominican native developed into a top prospect in New York's system, and heading into 2018, he was actually ranked as the 28th best prospect in the league by Baseball Prospectus.

Unfortunately, Florial was never able to materialize.

He ultimately broke into the big leagues in 2020, but only had three at-bats. Overall, the Yankees gave him a very limited opportunity in the majors, as he accumulated just 134 plate appearances in the Bronx. During that time, he slashed .192/.291/.329 with four homers.

The fact that Florial was used so much by the Guardians over the first couple of months of 2024 is an indication of just how desperate Cleveland was for outfield help.

Of course, the Guardians would later acquire Lane Thomas at the trade deadline and would also earn contributions from rookies Jhonkensy Noel and Angel Martinez.

We'll see if Florial can jumpstart his career in Korea and eventually return to the MLB.