Marlins Outright Woo-Suk Go

The Marlins announced yesterday that right-hander Woo-Suk Go went unclaimed on outright waivers following last week’s DFA. He’s been assigned back to Triple-A Jacksonville, where he’ll continue to pitch but will no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.

The 25-year-old Go was a star closer for the Korea Baseball Organization’s LG Twins who came to North American ball this past offseason via the posting system. Signed to a two-year, $4.5MM contract by the Padres, Go was expected to open the year in San Diego’s bullpen and perhaps even work his way into a late-inning role. Upon arrival to spring training, however, Go’s typically upper 90s fastball reportedly checked in more in the 92-94 mph range. The Padres optioned him to Double-A to begin the year and wound up including him in the surprising early-season trade that sent Luis Arraez from Miami to San Diego.

Go’s inclusion in the swap always looked to be more of a cost-cutting measure for the Padres than a perk for the Fish. By including Go in the deal and getting the Marlins to pay down all but the prorated league minimum on Arraez’s deal, the Friars actually wound up cutting payroll and reducing their luxury-tax bill in the trade. The fact that Miami quickly designated Go for assignment and passed him through outright waivers only further supports the notion that he was effectively a financial component of that swap.

To Go’s credit, he’s pitched pretty well in the upper minors to begin the season. In 21 1/3 frames, he’s worked to a 3.80 ERA with a 20% strikeout rate, a 6.7% walk rate and a sharp 49.2% ground-ball rate. It should be noted that the majority of Go’s strikeouts came during his Double-A stint with the Padres, however. He’s fanned only three of the 36 batters he’s faced with Miami’s Triple-A affiliate in Jacksonville (8.3%).

There’s still plenty of time for Go to pitch his way into the Marlins’ bullpen picture — particularly if he can regain some of his velocity or find a way to miss more bats with lesser life on his heater. Go won’t turn 26 until August, so youth is on his side, and his track record in South Korea is excellent. Over a five-year period with LG Twins from 2019-23, Go piled up 139 saves while recording a 2.39 ERA with a 30.2% strikeout rate, a 10% walk rate and a ground-ball rate north of 60%.