As noted by Dan Kurtz from MyKBOthe signing comes after the Landers opted out of their deal with the right-hander Drew VerHagen. The club’s medical team had noticed an undisclosed problem with VerHagen’s physical condition. He returns to free agency. That opened a roster spot for a second non-Pacific foreign pitcher in addition to Righty Mitch Whitewho is back for his second season with the team. They targeted Veneziano, who was released from a minor league contract with the Rangers to take advantage of the opportunity.
The 28-year-old Veneziano is going abroad for the first time in his career. He had been in affiliate ball since 2019, when the Royals drafted him in the 10th round out of Coastal Carolina. Veneziano spent most of his minor league career as a starter. He was a full-time reliever in the major leagues and started only one of forty appearances as an opener. Veneziano did well with Kansas City, Miami and St. Louis. He owns a 3.98 ERA with a 21.3% strikeout rate over 40 2/3 MLB innings.
While Veneziano’s big league track record is fairly solid, he’s had a tough season working out of the bullpen in Triple-A. That limited him to a minor league deal. Instead, he gets a guaranteed contract close to what he would have earned had he cracked the Texas bullpen. He will also likely get a chance to rebuild as a starter. The foreign player limit for KBO teams means they are unlikely to use any of those spots for players they project as relievers. If he performs well as a starter in Korea for a season or two, he would be in a better position to explore MLB opportunities down the road.
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