Raul Alcantara Signs With KBO’s Doosan Bears

Former Athletics righty Raul Alcantara will be signing on for a second season in Korea but will change teams, as Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports that Alcantara has agreed to a one-year contract with the Doosan Bears. He’ll earn a $700K salary with his new club.

Alcantara, who turned 27 earlier this month, spent the 2019 season pitching with the KT Wiz, for whom he logged a 4.01 ERA with 5.2 K/9, 1.4 BB/9 and 0.8 HR/9 in 172 2/3 innings (27 starts). His MLB experience is more limited, as the righty has only logged 46 1/3 innings in the big leagues, during which time scuffled to a 7.19 ERA.

Alcantara was never a high-end prospect when coming up through the Red Sox system, although the Athletics thought highly enough of him to acquire him alongside then-prospect Josh Reddick in the trade that sent closer Andrew Bailey from Oakland to Boston. He’ll pitch all of next season at 27, so even though his strikeout totals aren’t impressive, Alcantara is still someone worth tracking a bit as he continues his career in the KBO. A new pitch or some alteration that improves his ability to miss bats could eventually lead to interest from big league clubs, particularly if he’s able to maintain the strong control he’s always had.