The Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization announced yesterday that they’ve signed right-hander David Hale for the remainder of the season (link via South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency). Hale will earn $500K with the Eagles, per the announcement.
The 30-year-old Hale opened the season in the Yankees organization after signing a minor league contract over the winter. He made one appearance for New York after having his contract selected before being designated for assignment and claimed by the Twins, who’d also had offseason interest in him. However, the Twins, too, designated Hale after just one appearance.
Hale would ultimately clear waivers and elect free agency, only to return to the Yankees organization on a new minor league contract and largely repeat the cycle twice more. He found himself back in the Majors after Jordan Montgomery went down with Tommy John surgery, but was again designated for assignment after one long relief outing. That led to a third minor league contract with the Yanks, followed by yet another selection of his contract and, once again, a DFA after one long-relief outing.
Hale’s season is one of the stranger in recent memory; he has as many DFAs on the season as he does Major League appearances (four), but he’ll now have a more stable and more lucrative opportunity in the KBO. He’ll carry a career 4.49 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 51.2 percent ground-ball rate through 192 1/3 big league innings with him to South Korea, where he’ll join the second-place Eagles. Hale will be replacing former Twins left-hander Jason Wheeler, who has been waived by the club, per Yonhap’s report.
acarneglia
So much for double agent David Hale singing with Cleveland, getting lit up by NYY, released and re signed by NYY
Sheev Palpatine
Godspeed David Hale
Sheep8
Have fun in Korea! Don’t let the singing and chanting distract you on the mound!
walls17
We will never forget you Mr Hale
Scott Bronx Pinstripes
Sonny still owes you a Rolex
Bald Vinny
Shame… he was more valuable for the Yankees, 0.2WAR than German, Khanle, Gray, Shreve, Tanaka, and Bird COMBINED.
gleybertorres25
That’s false. You’re WAY off.
Bald Vinny
baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/2018.shtml#player…::13
No. I’m not.
Bird 0.3
Tanaka 0.3
German 0.0
Gray -0.3
Shreve -0.4
Khanle -0.6
————–
Can anyone add?
That is -0.6. David Hale? 0.2 WAR.
gleybertorres25
Tanaka, German, Gray, and Bird all have a positive WAR
Bald Vinny
Better check again.
baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/2018.shtml#player…::13
andrewf
mykbostats.com/players/1705-Jason-Wheeler-Hanwha-E… he was getting strikeouts but he was too wild (10 batters hit by pitch)
Phillies2017
Glad to see him get paid.
Begamin
hes getting 500k
isnt that less than the pro rated min?
andrewf
Yes, but is an upgrade over what he’d get in AAA since he was DFA’d a week ago (close enough).
Begamin
I see. Did him getting DFA’d get him out of what he was supposed to make with his other contracts he signed throughout the year?
Monkey’s Uncle
Just like Mike Carp needs to play for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Mark Canha needs to play for the Hanwha Eagles.
xabial
The Eagles are currently second in the 10-team league with 52 wins and 37 losses.
Looking for first postseason berth since 2007, the Eagles expect Hale to form a one-two punch with Keyvius Sampson.
andrewf
When Jason Wheeler was better than what Hale will likely do in all honesty. As much as I hope Hale does well, I doubt it.
Begamin
so how much money did Hale earn this year? he has signed multiple contracts with multiple clubs and in the MLB. i didnt think being DFAd got you out of the money that team owed you, right?