SSG Landers is counting down the recruitment of Loenis Elias (35) as a replacement for Annie Romero (32).
As a result of our coverage, SSG is in the process of signing a contract with Elias, a left-handed pitcher from Cuba. A contract with the Chicago Cubs, Elias’ home team, is expected to be announced when the transfer chain ends. The annual salary is likely to exceed the 400,000 dollars (530 million won) of Ricardo Sanchez, who was recently recruited as a replacement for the Hanwha Eagles.
SSG left Romero due to a shoulder injury during a practice game in Okinawa, Japan in February. His condition was so bad that there was talk of “ruptured ligaments” among foreign scouts of professional baseball. Judging that it would be difficult to return early, SSG dispatched foreign scouts to the United States early on to find a replacement for Romero.스포츠토토
Elias made his big league debut as a member of the Seattle Mariners in 2014 and won 10 wins (12 losses) from his first season and drew attention. That year, he led the Seattle starting lineup with Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwawakuma. His career record in the Major League (MLB) was 22-24 with an ERA of 3.96. His career on-base per inning pitched (WHIP) is 1.319. He switched to a bullpen pitcher in 2018 and increased the number of starts again last year.
The variable of the contract was the surgical history. Elias underwent Tommy John Surgery (elbow ligament replacement) in March 2021. However, SSG concluded that ‘there is no major problem’. This is because after he returned in May of last year, he threw the ball without any problems. After the season, Elias started 7 games in the Dominican Winter League, went 4-0, and had an average ERA of 0.92.
According to Fangraph.com, a site specializing in MLB records, Elias pitched three pitches last year, including a fastball, slider, and changeup. He averaged velocity on his fastball at 93.6 miles per hour (150.6 km/h). He was born in 1988, so he’s relatively old, but he’s got a lot of experience instead. He also represented Cuba at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) held in March. SSG judged that foreign hitter Guillermo Heredia would not have much difficulty adapting to Elias because he was from Cuba. With the recruitment of Elias, SSG will fill all of the 1st to 3rd starters with ‘left-handed’ following Kim Kwang-hyun and Kirk McCarty.