On Monday, the Kiwoom Heroes announced they had agreed to terms with former MLB All-Star Yasiel Puig, former Rays prospect Ruben Cardenas, and former Angels pitcher Kenny Rosenberg on one-year contracts. With these three additions, the Heroes have reached the limit for international players on the roster.
A seven-year MLB veteran, Puig finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2013 after batting .319 with 19 home runs. He followed up that campaign with an All-Star berth in 2014, and though he would never replicate the heights of his first two seasons, he did hit 75 home runs from 2017 to 2019. Next season will be Puig’s second stint with the Heroes after hitting .277 with 22 home runs in 2022.
Cardenas, meanwhile, will join his second KBO team in as many years after a brief stint with the Samsung Lions last season. A 2017 16th-round pick by Cleveland, Cardenas never reached the major leagues but steadily improved each season. The 26-year-old hit 42 home runs in Triple-A stints with the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies from 2023 to 2024.
While the Heroes hope that Puig and Cardenas can power the offense, Rosenberg will look to provide stability to the rotation. The 28-year-old left-hander posted a 4.66 ERA in parts of the last three seasons with the Angels and had a 4.22 ERA in 21 Triple-A starts in 2024. Since being drafted by the Rays in 2018, Rosenberg has made 115 minor-league starts and tossed 719.2 innings.
The Heroes’ offseason splurge comes after a disastrous 58-86 season in which they finished last in both runs-per-game and reliever ERA. Despite back-to-back last-place finishes, the club is just two years removed from advancing to the Korean Series against the SSG Landers.
