Seoul: The Hanwha Eagles announced their acquisition of former major league pitcher Owen White on Wednesday. White, a 26-year-old native of North Carolina, agreed to a one-year deal worth US$1 million, which includes $800,000 in salary and a $200,000 signing bonus.
According to Yonhap News Agency, White was a second-round pick by the Texas Rangers in the 2018 draft. He appeared in five major league games for the Rangers between 2023 and 2024 and pitched in three games for the Chicago White Sox in 2025. The right-hander holds a 0-1 career record with a 12.86 ERA over 14 innings.
In Triple-A this year, White went 0-8 with a 4.44 ERA in 20 outings, including 17 starts, across 81 innings. He struck out 65 and walked 43. The Eagles noted that White boasts a six-pitch mix, including a four-seam fastball, sweeper, cutter, changeup, sinker, and curveball. According to Baseball Savant, White averaged 92.3 miles per hour with his four-seamers this year.
The Eagles expressed confidence in White's abilities, stating, "He has a good command of his pitches, and as a one-time prospect in his mid-20s, he still has a great upside." White is set to join Wilkel Hernandez, who was signed on November 29, at the top of the new-look Eagles rotation.
The Eagles previously had the best one-two rotation punch in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) this year with Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss. However, both have signed with major league clubs this offseason. Ponce joined the Toronto Blue Jays and Weiss is now pitching for the Houston Astros. Ponce was voted the league MVP on Monday after winning the Triple Crown as the league leader with 17 wins, a 1.89 ERA, and a record 252 strikeouts. Weiss recorded 16 wins with a 2.87 ERA and 207 strikeouts. The two Americans became the first pair of teammates in the KBO to each strike out more than 200 batters in the same season.