St. Louis Cardinals Roster News: Seung-Hwan Oh Adds Bullpen Depth
Another player from Asia will take his talents to Major League Baseball with the news that the St. Louis Cardinals signed South Korean pitcher Seung-Hwan Oh to an undisclosed contract. The announcement was made by general manager John Mozeliak in a Monday press conference.
The signing is seen as a move to add more depth to the Cardinals' bullpen, which many baseball pundits see as not that deep, especially when compared to the league's elite teams.
Oh, who also is called by teammates in the Japan Central League as "Final Boss," will be joining a bullpen that houses the likes of closer Trevor Rosenthal, Jordan Walden, Jonathan Broxton, Kevin Siegrist, and Seth Maness.
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The South Korean star played his entire professional baseball career in Korea and Japan. He comes equipped with a rising four-seam fastball and versatility in the field. The last team he played for before the rumors began to surface was the Hanshin Tigers, where he had a 2.73 ERA and 41 saves. He also struck out 66 batters. His entire career is highlighted by a 1.81 ERA and 357 saves.
Oh is known to be an effective closer and is quite comfortable at that. It is expected that he'll be filling in as the setup man in St. Louis.
The agreement between Oh and the Cardinals is all about getting someone who can fill in the role perfectly after St. Louis failed to sign big-time free agents.
Although the numbers are still unofficial, the team revealed that they signed Oh to a one-year contract combined with a club option for next year. It is believed that the contract may be as high as $5 million, which suggests that the team is making a gamble in paying him big money to show his worth.
The veteran player is the all-time leader in saves in Korea with a lot of experience in international competition, including the gold medal-winning South Korean team in 2008 and several national teams that participated in the World Baseball Classic.
