It was reported that Eric Lauer, a left-hander with 36 wins in the Major League, will join the KBO League KIA Tigers.
U.S. media, including MLBTR, quoted Daniel Kim’s SNS on the 2nd (Korea Standard Time) that Lauer will sign a contract with KIA for the rest of the 2024 season. 안전놀이터
Earlier in the day, the Houston Astros released Lauer, who was playing for Triple-A Sugar Land.
The 29-year-old Lauer began the season with Triple-A after signing a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates this year, and joined Houston’s Triple-A team after opting out of the contract with Pittsburgh. He has been sluggish with a combined ERA of 5.26 between the two teams in Triple-A this season, but has made five starts and a 2.86 ERA so far.
Lauer, selected by the San Diego Padres with the 25th overall pick in the 2016 draft, made his big league debut in 2018 and was a pillar of the San Diego rotation for two seasons.
After moving to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2020, he pitched 7-5 in 2021 and ERA 3.19 and went 11-7, ERA 3.69 in 2022. However, he was sluggish with ERA 6.56, appearing in 10 games in 2023. His shoulders and elbows were bad. Average fastballs also plummeted from 93.3 mph in 2022 to 91.2 mph in 2023.
The Brewers eventually sent him to Triple-A Nashville, but the slump continued there as he failed to return to the big leagues with an ERA of 5.15.
Lauer’s career performance in six major league seasons was 36 wins, 37 losses, and ERA 4.30 in 120 games (112 starts).