More than a handful of players are making the transition from Major League Baseball in the United States to the Korea Baseball Organization in South Korea for the 2026 season.
Some players request a release from their former MLB team to pursue more playing time overseas, while others failed to perform adequately on the field.
The foreign player limit for KBO clubs will be four next year. One of those four players must have played in a professional league in Asia or Australia the previous season and cannot earn an annual salary of more than $200,000.
RHP Matt Manning Signs With Samsung Lions – The Samsung Lions announced the signing of right-hander Matt Manning on Sunday. The 27-year-old will earn $1 million on a one-year contract in the KBO.
Manning elected minor league free agency at the beginning of November, spending most of the year at Triple-A Toledo in the Detroit Tigers system. The Tigers designated the former ninth overall draft pick in 2016 for assignment and subsequently traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies near the deadline. With the Phillies, he made two appearances at Double-A Reading.
Injuries limited Manning to 50 starts across four Major League seasons with the Tigers from 2021-24. Still, an elevated career ERA (4.43) and low strikeout rate (6.3 K/9) gave Detroit a valid reason to cut ties with the former top 100 prospect.
Doosan Bears Agree to Deal With OF Daz Cameron – Daz Cameron, the son of Mike Cameron, a former three-time Gold Glove outfielder who played 17 years in MLB, agreed to a one-year contract with the Doosan Bears last Tuesday.
The younger Cameron is well-regarded for his speed and defensive capabilities in center field, but he fell short of expectations at the plate in his first five years in MLB. The 28-year-old posted a .200/.258/.326 slash line with 11 home runs and a .585 OPS in 472 plate appearances as a bench player with the Tigers (2020-22), Athletics (2024), and Milwaukee Brewers (2025).
Cameron is out of minor league options, indicating it may have been difficult to stick on just one club’s roster throughout the 2026 season. Signing with the Bears means he should receive a chance to crack the lineup as their everyday center fielder.
RHP Caleb Boushley Inks Deal With KT Wiz – Fresh off a disappointing season with the Texas Rangers, right-handed reliever Caleb Boushley signed a one-year contract with the KT Wiz last Wednesday.
Boushley made his MLB debut in 2023 with the Brewers and logged four innings in 2024 with the Minnesota Twins, but got his first authentic taste of an MLB reliever’s workload in 2025 in Texas. He struggled, posting a 6.02 ERA in 43 ⅓ innings with 41 strikeouts and five homers allowed in 25 games.
Boushley turned 32 in October and will earn $900,000, including $100,000 in incentives, with the Wiz. That payday is way higher than anything he earned in affiliated baseball, and he could have a chance to audition to become a member of KT’s starting rotation.
Additional Reported Foreign Player KBO Deals
Samsung Lions – Re-signed 1B Lewin Diaz, RHP Ariel Jurado.
Kia Tigers – Re-Signed RHP James Naile.
Hanwha Eagles – Signed OF Yonathan Perlaza, RHP Wilkel Hernandez
Photo: Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matt Manning throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
