The LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization are re-signing right-hander Elieser Hernández and first baseman Austin Dean for the 2025 season. According to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News (source), Hernández will be earning $1.3MM while Dean will receive $1.7MM.
Hernández, who will turn 30 in May, joined the Twins midway through the previous season. A former promising starting pitcher with the Marlins, he had been plagued by injuries, missing the entire 2023 season. He made a comeback in 2024, briefly playing for the Dodgers and Brewers before making the move to Korea to join the Twins in late July.
During his time with the team, Hernández pitched 47 innings across 11 appearances, including nine starts. He posted a 4.02 earned run average with a 28.2% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate, and a 51.2% ground ball rate. Yoo noted that Hernández also pitched 11 scoreless innings in the postseason, impressing the club management and securing another season with the Twins.
As for Dean, 31, this will mark his third season with the Twins. After playing sporadically in the MLB from 2018 to 2022, he has found a more consistent role in Korea. In the previous season, he hit 23 home runs with a .313/.376/.515 slash line, and in 2024, he increased his production with 32 home runs and a .319/.384/.573 line.
With the MLB minimum salary set at $760K for the following year, both Hernández and Dean have increased their earning potential significantly and likely gained more job security. The Twins also signed right-hander Yonny Chirinos recently, completing their quota of foreign-born players allowed in the KBO. Each team in the league can have up to three foreign players, with a maximum of two pitchers.
