The San Diego Padres signed left-handed pitcher Kyle Hart, the reigning winner of the Korea Baseball Organization’s version of the Cy Young Award, through the 2025 season, the team announced Thursday.
The contract includes a club option for 2026. No financial details were disclosed.
Hart, 32, played the 2024 season with the NC Dinos of the KBO. He was 13-3 with a 2.69 ERA and a league-best 182 strikeouts in 26 games (all starts). He walked just 38 batters in 157 innings.
He was a 19th-round selection by the Boston Red Sox in the 2016 MLB Draft and has spent most of his career in the minor leagues.
Over eight seasons stateside, he has made four MLB appearances (three starts), all with the Red Sox in the COVID-impacted 2020 season. He gave up 19 earned runs in 11 innings pitched, leading to an 0-1 record and a 15.55 ERA.
After a quiet offseason, this apparently is the Padres’ second transaction in two days. On Wednesday, the club reportedly signed right-hander Nick Pivetta to a four-year, $55 million deal.
