The KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization have come to an agreement with the right-hander Beau Sulser for the 2023 season, the team announced (h/t to Dan Kurtz of MYKBO.net). He’ll receive a $740K guarantee.
Sulser, 28, made his major league debut this past season. After six seasons climbing the minor league ladder in Pittsburgh, he cracked the Pirates roster in April. He made four appearances out of the bullpen before being designated for assignment, eventually landing with the Orioles on waivers. Sulser would be called upon six more times by Baltimore, working as a long reliever at both stops. Between the two clubs, he combined for a 3.63 ERA through his first 22 1/3 MLB innings.
The Dartmouth product struck out 19.2% of opponents on just an 8.7% swinging strike rate. That led the O’s to DFA him themselves despite his decent ERA at the end of the season. He landed back with his original organization via waiver claim, but Pittsburgh placed him on waivers yet again when setting the 40-man roster to keep prospects out of the Rule 5 draft. This time, he went unclaimed and was sent straight to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Evidently, the Bucs are granting Sulser his release to pursue the opportunity in South Korea. That’ll allow the former 10th-round draftee to secure the strongest guaranteed salary of his career. The $740K figure is a bit above the MLB minimum salary and well north of what Sulser would’ve made had he spent next season either entirely at Triple-A or, in all likelihood, even shuttling back and forth between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis had he pitched his way back onto the 40-man roster.
While Sulser came out of the bullpen for all 10 big league outings, he worked both as a starter and reliever in the minors. Sulser started 24 games at Indianapolis in 2021 and picked up six starts in 20 Triple-A appearances this year. Presumably, the Wiz plan to give him a crack in the rotation. They’re coming off an 80-62-2 season that placed them fourth out of the league’s 10 teams.
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