KBO All-Star closer Go Woo-suk posted for MLB clubs

Published : Dec 5, 2023 - 19:50 Updated : Dec 5, 2023 - 19:50

Go throws a pitch at the third game of the Korean Series at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Nov. 8. (Yonhap)

South Korean All-Star closer Go Woo-suk has been posted for Major League Baseball clubs, the league office here announced Tuesday.

The Korea Baseball Organization said MLB notified its 30 clubs of Go's posting by his domestic club, LG Twins, on Monday (US time), confirming US media reports from earlier in the day.

The 25-year-old right-hander is now able to sign with any big league team within the 30-day negotiating window, which opens at 8 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday and will end at 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 3.

The KBO had asked MLB to post Go last Tuesday, after the Twins had agreed to make Go available on the condition that they wouldn't let him leave on a cheap deal.

KBO teams receive a "release fee" if one of their players leaves for MLB through posting, depending on the guaranteed value of the player's contract.

The release fee is 20 percent of the first $25 million and 17.5 percent of the amount exceeding the next $25 million. If a player signs for over $50 million, then his former KBO team will receive 20 percent of the first $25 million ($5 million) and 17.5 percent of the next $25 million ($4,375,000), plus 15 percent of the amount exceeding $50 million.

Go is the second KBO player to be posted Monday, joining Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Lee Jung-hoo, the 2022 KBO regular season MVP, whose negotiating window will also close on Jan. 3. Go and Lee are close friends, and Go is married to Lee's younger sister.

Go has been one of the KBO's top closers since assuming that role in 2019, two years after his debut. He has recorded 139 saves from 2019 to 2023, more than any other closer in that span. He has struck out 334 batters and walked 115 in 275 1/3 innings across those five seasons. His 2.39 ERA is also the lowest among all closers in the 2019-2023 period.

The right-hander is also one of the hardest-throwing relievers in the KBO. According to the KBO statistics site Statiz, Go averaged 152.5 kph with his fastball in 2023, tops among all relievers with at least 40 innings pitched.

Go missed several weeks this season with assorted injuries and also struggled early in the Korean Series. He did record the final three outs in the Twins' title-clinching game against the KT Wiz on Nov. 13 in a non-save situation.