The professional baseball Kiwoom Heroes have completed the formation of foreign players in the 2026 season.
Kiwoom club announced the completion of the foreign player plan through a press release on the 16th. One will renew the contract and the rest will be newly hired.
Re-signing right-hander Raul Alcantara (33). The contract is renewed for a total of $900,000 with an annual salary of $700,000 and an option of $200,000.
사진 확대 Kiwoom renews its contract with Alcantara. Photo = MK Sports DB
Alcantara, who joined Yasiel Puig as a substitute for him in May, went 8-4 with a 3.27 ERA in 19 appearances this season. The Kiwoom club said, “We expect Alcantara, which has high-quality ball power and innings, to play a central role in the starting lineup next season.”
New outsiders included right-hander Nathan Wiles (27) and left-handed outfielder Trenton Brooks (30). Wiles signed an annual salary of $910,000 and Brooks signed an annual salary of $700,000 and an option of $150,000.
사진 확대 Nathan Wiles made his major league debut with Atlanta in 2025. 사진=ⓒAFPBBNews = News1
Wiles began his professional career with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 and made his major league debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2025. He can use fastballs, cutters, changeups, and sliders in the late 140km/h range on average. Although he had a short career in the Major League, he pitched in 125 games (82 starts) in the minor leagues and recorded 25 wins, 17 losses, and an ERA of 4.48. The strength of the team is its stable ball control and game management ability, with a walk rate of 2.1 per nine innings in the minor league.
Brooks, who joined the Cleveland Guardians in 2016, made his big league debut with the San Francisco Giants in 2024, and played for the San Diego Padres this season. Brooks is a mid- to long-range hitter with a 1.02 walk-and-out (64 walks, 63 strikeouts) ratio in Triple-A this season and a good pioneer with a 0.382 on-base percentage in Triple-A. They can play first base and all outfield positions. He played in 37 games (9 hits, 1 home run batting average of 0.136) in the Major League, and appeared in 779 games in the Minor League, recording 748 hits and 88 home runs batting average of 0.268.
사진 확대 Brooks played for San Diego last season. 사진=ⓒAFPBBNews = News1
He signed Japanese right-hander Yotu Kanakubo (26) as an Asian quarter player. He signed a contract for 130,000 dollars, including an annual salary of 100,000 dollars and an option of 30,000 dollars.
Kanakubo, a native of the Yakult Swallows in the Japanese professional baseball league, is an orthodox right-hander who throws fast balls up to 154 kilometers per hour with a 5-4 record with a 4.31 ERA over six seasons in the Japanese professional baseball league. As he has experienced both starters and bullpens, he is expected to play various roles next season and add strength to the pitching staff.
They plan to join the team in spring camp next year after conducting individual training.
[KIM JAE HO, MK Sports Reporter]