Yonny Chirinos, former LG Twins pitcher, delivers a pitch during a game against the KT Wiz at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, March 28. Yonhap
The defending Korean baseball champions LG Twins announced their signing of new pitcher Yacksel Rios on Wednesday.
In a corresponding move, the 2025 Korean Series winners released slumping starter Yonny Chirinos.
The Twins said Rios will be paid $350,000 in guaranteed salary for the rest of this Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season and can make another $100,000 in incentives.
The Puerto Rican right-hander was a 12th-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. He made his MLB debut with them in 2017, and went on to pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Seattle Mariners, the Boston Red Sox, the Oakland Athletics and the Chicago Cubs.
In 93 MLB games, all of them coming in relief, Rios went 8-2 with a 6.21 ERA in 100 innings and recorded 95 strikeouts against 56 walks.
He appeared in 11 games for the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate this year and had a 0-3 record with a 4.24 ERA across 17 innings. Rios also pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings for Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic in March.
Rios has made 184 appearances in Triple-A and only two have come in starts.
The Twins described Rios as "a power pitcher" and should strengthen their pitching staff right away.
Chirinos is leaving the Twins in the middle of his second season here.
Source: Korea Times News
