The SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization announced on Friday that they agreed to a deal with right-handed pitcher Mitch White on a 1-year/$1 million contract, the maximum amount allowed for a first-year foreign player. The half-Korean 29-year-old will now continue his career in the country where his mother was born.
The Dodgers second-round pick in 2016, White appeared to be a big part of the Dodgers future when he posted a 3.66 ERA as a rookie in 2021. The performance earned him a spot in the rotation in 2022, but despite another solid first half, the pitching-rich Dodgers shipped him to the Blue Jays at the deadline. White could never again recapture the success he had in Los Angeles, posting a 7.26 ERA in three seasons in Toronto before quick stints with the Giants and Brewers to close out 2024.
The SSG Landers are coming off a disappointing 2024 season that saw them drop a one-game tiebreaker against the KT Wiz for the final playoff spot. White will look to become the latest foreign pitcher to succeed with the Landers after Roenis Elias (4.08 ERA) and Drew Anderson (3.89) posted solid 2024 seasons.
White is the second MLB pitcher to sign with a KBO team this offseason. On Thursday, the Doosan Bears agreed to terms with veteran left-handed Cole Irvin on a one-year deal.
