Minnesota Twins’ Andrew Albers Looks to be Headed to Korea

Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

If you are Canadian, you are no longer wanted on this damn team, apparently. I mean unless you have strong beliefs in what Scott Diamond may do for the Minnesota Twins. What we’re talking about here is that it has come out that mid-season darling Andrew Albers is apparently heading to Korea.

Hanwha Eagles, of the Korean Baseball Organization, must make some sort of buyout deal with the Twins before Albers can head overseas. This all comes just a weeks after it was thought that Chris Colabello might be heading to Korea, but that opportunity was shot down.

According to Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press, the deal Albers will be signing in Korea will be in the high six figure range, a pay raise. Also, a year in Korea will allow Albers to be a free agent next offseason, whereas if he would stay with the Twins he wouldn’t be a free agent until 2019.

Albers started his major league career by pitching 18 1/3 straight scoreless innings, it soon unraveled after. To put it bluntly, it just doesn’t look like Albers has the stuff to be a major league pitcher with only a mid-80’s fastball and a very low strikeout rate.

It doesn’t help Albers that the Twins signed a slew of starters (Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes, Mike Pelfrey), making him even more invaluable to the team. Albers departure to Korea would open up a spot on the 40-man roster for the Twins.

The deal is not done yet, but it seems like it’s just a matter of time.