The Detroit Tigers are adding to their bullpen depth.
The Tigers have signed right-handed reliever Woo-Suk Go to a minor league contract. The 26-year-old — a former standout in the KBO League in South Korea — has been assigned to Triple-A Toledo. His four-seam fastball averages 93 mph.
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Go is still awaiting his MLB debut.
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San Diego Padres relief pitcher Woo-Suk Go (21) throws a pitch against the Seattle Mariners during the ninth inning at Petco Park in San Diego on March 26, 2024.
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The Miami Marlins released Go on June 17; he then signed with the Tigers on Monday, June 25.
After seven seasons in Korea, Go received permission from the LG Twins to negotiate with MLB teams via the posting system. He ended up signing a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the San Diego Padres in January 2024.
His career with the Padres didn’t last long.
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In May 2024, the Padres traded Go (and three other players) to the Miami Marlins for Luis Arráez, a three-time National League batting champion. Later that month, Go was designated for assignment by the Marlins, meaning he was removed from their 40-man roster.
Since then, Go hasn’t been on any team’s 40-man roster.
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He suffered a fractured right index finger in mid-February during spring training with the Marlins, so he wasn’t able to compete for a bullpen role on the 2025 Opening Day roster. He returned to games in early May as part of a rehab assignment.
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Before getting cut, Go pitched in five games for Triple-A Jacksonville in the Marlins’ organization after recovering from the broken index finger. He posted a 1.59 ERA with one walk and five strikeouts across 5⅔ innings.
Go used five pitch types in those five games: four-seam fastball (47.1%), splitter (28.1%), slider (10.5%), curveball (8.6%) and cutter (5.7%). He generated a 52.2% whiff rate with his splitter and a 40% whiff rate with his slider.
His fastball maxed out at 95.3 mph.
Go is the brother-in-law of San Francisco Giants center fielder Jung-hoo Lee, who is hitting .252 with six home runs, 26 walks and 35 strikeouts in 75 MLB games. His father-in-law is Lee Jong-beom, arguably the best five-tool player in KBO League history.
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In the KBO League, Go pitched for the LG Twins from 2017-23, including as the closer for the final five seasons.
His best season in Korea occurred in 2022, when he registered a 1.48 ERA with 21 walks and 80 strikeouts across 60⅔ innings in 61 games, racking up 42 saves.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers sign Korean pitcher Woo-Suk Go to minor league contract