SEOUL– The South Korean baseball club Lotte Giants said Thursday they’ve signed a former major league outfielder DJ Peters.
Peters has agreed to a one-year deal worth up to US$680,000 — $600,000 in guaranteed salary and up to $80,000 in incentives.
Peters, 25, will replace shortstop Dixon Machado in the Giants’ lineup. Teams in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) are each allowed to sign up to three foreign players, with no more than two pitchers. Clubs typically carry two starting pitchers and one position player.
Peters was drafted once out of high school and then twice out of college, the last selection coming in the fourth round of the 2016 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He made his big league debut with the Dodgers in April this year and then was claimed off the waivers by the Texas Rangers in August.
In 70 combined games between the two clubs, Peters batted .197/.242/.422 with 13 home runs and 38 RBIs. In five minor league seasons, Peters had 96 home runs, 290 RBIs and a .266/.359/.489 line in 505 games.
Machado was one of the KBO’s top defensive players at any position but had limited offensive upside. Peters, the Giants said, will bring a lot of power at the plate, plus an impressive range and throwing arm that will allow him to handle all three outfield positions.
The Giants finished the 2021 season in eighth place among 10 teams at 65-71-8 (wins-losses-ties). But they led the league with 1,393 hits, 266 doubles, a .278 batting average and a .356 on-base percentage, while ranking third with a .755 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Source: Yonhap News Agency