It's been a whirlwind of a year for former Minnesota Twins right-hander Chris Paddack. Minnesota traded Paddack, 30, to the Detroit Tigers at last summer's trade deadline in the final year of his contract. The right-hander then signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Miami Marlins in the offseason, only to be designated for assignment in early May after posting a 7.63 ERA over 30 2/3 innings. Miami released Paddack after he cleared waivers, and the right-hander signed with the Cincinnati Reds, playing for the team for roughly five weeks before being designated for assignment and then released once again. He recorded a 6.04 ERA over 22 1/3 innings with Cincinnati.
After his tenure with the Reds, Paddack signed with the Texas Rangers, who needed pitching depth after Jack Leiter landed on the injured list with an ankle injury, in late June. Paddack made just one appearance with the Rangers, allowing two earned runs over four innings, before being DFA'd for the third time this season. Now, the former Twin is heading overseas to play for the Samsung Lions of the KBO League in South Korea, per Ilyo Shinmun.
Chris Paddack struggled during his time with the Twins
Paddack never lived up to expectations during his Twins tenure after joining the team in 2022 as part of the trade that sent the San Diego Padres Taylor Rogers and Brent Rooker. He made just five starts in 2022 before undergoing Tommy John Surgery, then pitched out of the bullpen in late 2023. He was limited to just 17 starts in 2024 due to a forearm strain, posting a 4.99 ERA across 88 1/3 innings.
Paddack had a solid start to the 2025 season but cooled down significantly. He had a 4.95 ERA in 111 innings last season before being traded to the Tigers along with righty Randy Dobnak for catching prospect Enrique Jimenez in late July. Paddack continued to struggle with Detroit, posting a 6.32 ERA over 47 innings. The Tigers demoted Paddack to a bullpen role near the end of the season, and he failed to make Detroit's postseason roster.
At this point, Paddack is the definition of a journeyman. Even so, he will have made a whopping $21.7 million in his MLB career at the conclusion of this season. The general consensus is that the KBO is on the same level as Double-A ball talent-wise, so Paddack will have a much better chance of finding success in Korea. If he pitches well there, he could find himself back in MLB down the road.
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