Milwaukee Brewers starter Elvin Rodriguez pitches against the Cincinnati Reds during the clubs' Major League Baseball regular-season game at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Apr. 5. Yonhap
The Lotte Giants announced their signing of three foreign players Thursday, with two new pitchers joining a returning outfielder.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club signed former major league pitchers Elvin Rodriguez and Jeremy Beasley, and decided to bring back outfielder Victor Reyes for his third season in Korea.
Rodriguez and Beasley each signed for $1 million -- the maximum amount allowed for first-year foreign players -- while Reyes agreed to a $1.4 million contract.
Rodriguez, 27, made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2022, and later pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Baltimore Orioles. He has a 0-6 record with a 9.40 ERA in 52 2/3 innings over 15 big league outings, including seven starts.
The right-hander from the Dominican Republic pitched for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 2023 to 2024. In 39 combined outings there, Rodriguez went 2-6 with eight holds and a save, plus a 2.77 ERA in 78 innings. He had 67 strikeouts against 25 walks.
Listed at 193 centimeters, Rodriguez can touch 157 kilometers per hour (kph) with his four-seam fastball, and he also throws curveball, cutter, sweeper and changeup. According to Baseball Savant, Rodriguez averaged 94.4 miles per hour, or about 152 kph, with his four-seamer in the majors in 2025.
The Giants said Rodriguez's recent experience and success in NPB should set him up well for his first season in Korea.
"He had a good deception in his delivery and throws an excellent fastball," Giants general manager Park Jun-hyuk said. "He also doesn't walk many batters."
Beasley, a 30-year-old from California, has 18 big league games under his belt with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Toronto Blue Jays. He has a 0-1 record with a 5.84 ERA in 24 2/3 innings in the majors, with 33 strikeouts and 14 walks from 2020 to 2022.
The right-hander also has NPB experience, having pitched for the Hanshin Tigers from 2023 to 2025. In 40 games in Japan, Beasley went 10-8 with a 2.82 ERA, along with 143 strikeouts and 49 walks in 147 innings.
According to the Giants, Beasley can get his four-seam fastball up to 158 kph and he throws a slider with great horizontal movements.
"With 20 starts for the Hanshin Tigers in 2025, Beasley has proven his ability to manage the game," Park said. "On top of his great slider, he also throws a quality splitter. He induces a ton of groundballs and can minimize damage."
Reyes will be back for his third season after leading the KBO in hits in each of his two previous seasons and playing in all 144 games in both years.
Reyes set a KBO single-season record with 202 hits in 2024, and followed that up with 187 hits this year. He finished fourth with a .326 batting average this year, after batting .352 to rank second a season ago.
Reyes also earned Golden Glove awards in both 2024 and 2025, becoming just the second foreign-born outfielder to win back-to-back Golden Gloves in KBO history.