Former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder Ryan McBroom headed off to South Korea to play for the Korean Baseball Organization, SSG Landers, after his contract was purchased from the Long Island Ducks on April 21, the organization announced.
⚾ CONTRACT PURCHASED ⚾
Congratulations to Ducks infielder @R_Broom! His contract has been purchased by the SSG Landers of the @KBO_ENG.
📰: https://t.co/PLt92Gk879 pic.twitter.com/HYQili9I9g
— Long Island Ducks (@LIDucks) April 21, 2025
Jee-ho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency in South Korea reported on April 20, that McBroom signed for $75,000 for the 2025 season.
Earlier today, SSG announced that they signed Ryan McBroom as an injury replacement player for Heredia for $75K. Heredia has an infection from a boil on his right thigh and will be out six weeks https://t.co/s9G6EcPTye
— Dan Kurtz (@MyKBO) April 20, 2025
McBroom will be a short-term replacement for the SSG Landers due to last season’s KBO batting champion outfielder Guillermo Heredia going through a procedure on folliculitis in his right thigh but a further complication will require about six weeks of rehab, the organization’s front office said.
The 33-year-old right-handed hitter from Fredericksburg, Va., played for the Kansas City Royals from 2019 to 2021 before continuing his career in international professional leagues that operate during the MLB season.
McBroom is the first player in Long Island Ducks history to have his contract purchased by a major league organization from any of the following leagues: MLB, KBO, Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, or the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan.
In 2024 with Long Island, McBroom appeared in 88 games and batted .268 over 375 plate appearances, collecting 84 hits, 15 doubles, 19 home runs, 68 RBI, eight stolen bases, 50 walks, 72 strikeouts, and a .873 OPS.
McBroom led Long Island with home runs, RBIs, and walks during the 2024 season.
McBroom also played in Japan for the Hiroshima Carp from 2022-23 for their main club and minor league team.
With the Hiroshima Carp, McBroom hit .255, while playing in 198 games with 767 plate appearances, hitting .255 with 767 plate appearances, cracking 172 hits, 37 doubles, 23 home runs, 105 RBI, 80 walks, 161 strikeouts, and a .749 OPS.
In his three seasons in the majors with the Royals, McBroom played in 66 games and batted .268 with 177 plate appearances, collecting 44 hits, eight doubles, six home runs, 16 RBI, 12 walks, 61 strikeouts, and a .749 OPS.
McBroom has played in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico with the Tomateros de Culiacán from 2017-19 and in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana with the Tigres del Licey in the 2019-20 winter league season as the only other professional foreign organizations he has played with as well in Japan, prior to heading to South Korea to be with the SSG Landers for the remainder of the 2025 season.
In his five seasons playing in the international leagues, McBroom has a lifetime average of .257 with 1,132 plate appearances, while playing in 290 games, piling 255 hits, 51 doubles, one triple, 31 home runs, 150 RBI, eight stolen bases, 114 walks, 229 strikeouts, and a .740 OPS.
The (10-12) SSG Landers will play their second game of their three-game series on the road against the (12-12) Samsung Lions in Daegu, South Korea, at Samsung Lions Park on April 23 at 5:30 a.m. EDT.
All KBO games for the 2025 season can be streamed live on sooplive.com/category/kbo-league.
Kansas City Royals’ Ryan McBroom rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of a spring training baseball game,Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
