May 16, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Dan Straily (53) delivers in the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Free agent pitcher Dan Straily, who most recently played in the KBO, is drawing attention from multiple MLB teams.
In the span of a year, Dan Straily has gone from an MLB flameout to one of the most interesting free agents on the market.
All it took was a dominant season playing in the KBO in Korea.
Now, the 31-year-old is being pursued by the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels and more.
Dan Straily successfully revived his career in Korea.
Make no mistake, any team that picks up Straily is taking a risk. He last played in MLB in 2019 and it was an utter disaster. Pitching for the Baltimore Orioles, he had an ERA of 9.82 while appearing in 14 games. In 47.2 innings pitched, he gave up 52 runs and 22 home runs.
With those kinds of numbers, Straily was forced to ply his trade far away from his home country. He went to Korea and signed with the Lotte Giants. It turned out to be a match made in heaven. He compiled a 15-4 record and posted an ERA of 2.50 in 31 starts.
The KBO is not the same level as the MLB, but it’s a competitive league with hitters known for making contact. Pitching dominantly in Korea is no walk in the park.
Straily still has a ton to prove. His eight years in the majors were nothing to write home about. He came up in the Oakland Athletics organization after being drafted in the 24th round in 2009 out of Marshall. He spent time with the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Reds and Miami Marlins before his disastrous stint with Baltimore.
The best season of his career came with the Reds in 2016 when he went 14-8 with an ERA of 3.76.
He now needs to decide if he wants to stick with what worked in Korea or attempt to redeem his legacy back stateside.