The Padres are close to a deal with Korean reliever Woo Suk Go, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. The club hasn’t confirmed the report.
Per a follow-up report from Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency out of Seoul, Go took a flight from Korea to the United States on Tuesday night (Wednesday afternoon local time).
A 25-year-old righty who throws in the mid-90s, Go has posted a 3.18 ERA with 139 saves and 401 strikeouts over 368 1/3 innings spanning seven seasons for the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization. To sign Go, the Padres would need to pay a release fee to the Twins.
Go would be the second closer from Asia to be acquired by the Padres this offseason; they inked Japanese lefty Yuki Matsui to a five-year deal last month. Josh Hader, San Diego’s former closer, is currently a free agent.
With Blake Snell, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo and Nick Martinez also dropping off the roster via free agency, the Padres have prioritized pitching this offseason. They acquired four arms when they traded Juan Soto to the Yankees in December before signing Matsui. They also selected Stephen Kolek from the Mariners in the Rule 5 Draft and claimed Luis Patiño off waivers from the White Sox.
