By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, July 18 (Yonhap) -- The Lotte Giants announced Tuesday they have signed former major league pitcher Aaron Wilkerson, cutting ties with veteran Dan Straily in the process.
The Giants said Wilkerson, 34, will make US$350,000 for the rest of this season.
After signing with the Boston Red Sox as a free agent in 2014, Wilkerson made his major league debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017. He logged 35 1/3 innings across 14 outings for the Brewers from 2017 to 2019, going 1-1 with a 6.88 ERA.
In this Getty Images file photo from July 7, 2018, Milwaukee Brewers starter Aaron Wilkerson pitches against the Atlanta Braves during a Major League Baseball regular season game at Miller Park in Milwaukee. (Yonhap)
Wilkerson spent the 2022 season in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers, and pitched to a 4.08 ERA and a 5-5 record in 14 games. He had been pitching for the Oakland Athletics' Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas this year, posting a 6.51 ERA and a 3-2 record in 14 games, including six starts.
The Giants said the right-hander has good movement on his fastball and excellent command of his breaking pitches.
Wilkerson is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Wednesday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) is currently on the annual All-Star break and the season will resume Friday. He will join left-hander Charlie Barnes as two foreign starters for the Giants.
New Lotte Giants pitcher Aaron Wilkerson poses after signing with the Korea Baseball Organization club, in this photo provided by the Giants on July 18, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
In the corresponding move, the Giants released Straily 16 starts into his fourth KBO season. The Giants' Opening Day starter this year had a 3-5 record and a 4.37 ERA, unable to find the consistency that once made him one of the best starters here.
The former major league pitcher first joined the Giants for the 2020 season, going 15-4 while leading the league with 250 strikeouts and finishing second with a 2.50 ERA.
New Lotte Giants pitcher Aaron Wilkerson signs his contract with the Korea Baseball Organization club, in this photo provided by the Giants on July 18, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
He wasn't as effective in 2021, when he was 10-12 with a 4.07 ERA. Straily returned to the United States after that season but rejoined the Giants in August last year. In 11 games, Straily went 4-2 with a 2.31 ERA, prompting the Giants to bring him back for another go in 2023.
Straily, though, went 0-2 with a 5.82 ERA in the first month of the season. He showed some signs of life in May, when he threw two scoreless starts and had a 2.31 ERA in four starts. But he struggled again in June, and two mediocre outings in July sealed his fate.
Straily walked 4.15 batters per nine innings this year, compared with 3.18 last year and 2.36 in his best season in 2020.
KBO teams can each sign up to three foreign players and can change up to two of them within a season. The Giants replaced outfielder Zach Reks with Niko Goodrum last Tuesday.
In this file photo from April 1, 2023, Lotte Giants starter Dan Straily pitches against the Doosan Bears during a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)
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