Kwang Hyun Kim

Kim came with plenty of intrigue last offseason following several strong seasons in Korea, but questions about his role added another layer of uncertainty to that which always follows players joining the league from overseas. The picture only got murkier early on, as he was named the team's primary closer shortly before Opening Day and went on to record a save in his MLB debut, something he'd never done in the KBO. The Cardinals' season was paused due to a COVID-19 outbreak shortly thereafter, however, and he served exclusively as a starter the rest of the way, finishing with a stellar 1.62 ERA in 39 innings. Quite a lot of luck went into that figure, however, given his .217 BABIP and 86.6% strand rate. That's not to say he deserves none of the credit, as his 50.0% groundball rate and 7.8 BB% were both solid, but he looks much more like a back-of-the-rotation option than a frontline starter given his low 15.6 K%.

Kim is moving to MLB after a 12-year career in South Korea where he was among the best pitchers in the KBO. He almost moved to MLB in 2014 when he was posted by the SK Wyverns, but the Padres and Kim couldn't reach a contract deal. Kim missed the 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery, but returned better than ever. He went 17-6 with a 2.51 ERA and 8.5 K/9 last season (6th among starters). He has a low-to-mid 90s fastball but an excellent slider. At age 31, and without dominant velocity, he may not have tremendous upside. However, he could be a valuable swing man after signing with the Cardinals. He'll likely compete for the 5th starter role this spring and could shift back-and-forth from the bullpen.

Kim has been regarded as one of the top pitchers in South Korea's top professional league, the Korea Baseball Organization. He battled injury and inconsistency for several years but bounced back strong last season at age 26 with a 3.42 ERA and 7.5 K/9 over 173.2 innings. The Padres won his rights for $2 million via the posting system with the KBO, but he was unable to come to terms on a contract with the Padres. He may try to move to MLB for 2016.