Brewers sign right-hander Josh Lindblom to three-year deal out of Korean baseball league

SAN DIEGO - The Milwaukee Brewers found success plucking slugger Eric Thames out of the Korean Baseball Organization. Now, they hope to do so with right-hander Josh Lindblom.

The Brewers reached a three-year deal Wednesday guaranteeing $9.125 million to Lindblom, 32, who pitched most of the previous five seasons in the KBO with great success. Jon Heyman of the MLB Network was first to report the deal, and ESPN's Jeff Passan reported with incentive bonuses the agreement could reach $18 million.

The Brewers did not announce the deal and were not expected to do so at the winter meetings because Lindblom first must undergo the requisite physical examination. 

Lindblom primarily was a reliever in the majors before going to the KBO to pitch as a starter, the role in which he will perform for the Brewers. He went 20-3 with a 2.50 ERA in 30 starts in 2019 for the Doosan Bears, setting the franchise record with 189 strikeouts in 194⅔ innings.

Lindblom was named the most valuable player in the league for that performance, just as Thames was in 2015 before signing a three-year deal with the Brewers.

In two seasons with Doosan, Lindblom was 35-7 with a 2.68 ERA in 56 starts with 346 strikeouts in 363⅓ innings and only 67 walks. Including three years with Lotte, he was 63-34 with a 3.55 ERA in 130 starts, covering 823 innings.

Though he couldn't confirm the signing, Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns talked about needing to look everywhere for players who can help his club.

"In our pursuit to build our roster, we have to be open-minded to talent from all available places," he said. "We recognize that's not exclusive to the 30 major-league clubs. It's something that we work hard to understand every player that's out there that could be potentially of value to the Milwaukee Brewers."

Stearns said his international scouting presence is spearheaded by former Brewers player Taylor Green with support from the team's front office: "We supplement the knowledge we can gain from our on-the-ground resources with very in-depth analysis and video reviews we can do in Milwaukee."

The Brewers are in need of filling innings in their starting rotation after the loss of free agents Jordan Lyles and Gio Gonzalez, as well as the trades of Chase Anderson and Zach Davies. The only projected starters had been right-handers Brandon Woodruff and Adrian Houser, and left-hander Eric Lauer, acquired from San Diego in the trade that included Davies.

Asked how many starting pitchers he would like to acquire, Stearns merely said, "Multiple, I think is the key term. We know we're going to go through eight to 10 through the course of the year. We don't have to have all of those on Feb. 12 (when pitchers and catchers report to spring training).

"We know we need to add starting pitchers. We fully intend to do that. I'm confident when we get to Phoenix, and more importantly when we get back to Milwaukee for opening day, we're going to have not only a starting rotation we feel comfortable with but the depth behind it."

A second-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of Purdue in 2008, Lindblom pitched primarily in relief while seeing action with L.A., Philadelphia, Texas, Oakland and Pittsburgh (four appearances in 2017 before returning to the KBO).

In 114 appearances, including only six starts, he went 5-8 with a 4.10 ERA in 147 innings, with 140 hits, 61 walks and 131 strikeouts. 

Lindblom appears to have reinvented himself in South Korea, however, using mostly a three-pitch mix: a four-seam fastball, cutter and split-fingered fastball, a weapon he used with great success to strike out hitters. With a fastball that averages 91 mph, he doesn't throw particularly hard but has an excellent spin rate, a tool that has become en vogue with the increased usage of baseball analytics. 

"Spin rate is often misunderstood in how it's talked about in the public domain," Stearns said. "Spin rate is a pitch characteristic, which when you combine with other pitch characteristics, helps give us an understanding of the effectiveness of each individual pitch. It's part of a puzzle that you try to put together to understand who a pitcher is."

The baseball used in the KBO is different from MLB, so it remains to be seen how much of an adjustment that is for Lindblom. But the KBO is considered more of a hitter's circuit, so his success there was noteworthy. 

In an interview with FanGraphs baseball site during the 2019 season, Lindblom said, "There’s a misconception that, if you come to Asia, your career is over. You look at guys like Eric Thames, Merrill Kelly, and Miles Mikolas, and there’s been a few relievers that came back from Japan. You can come to Asia and get better. There’s opportunity here.

"Not only do they provide for your family financially, but there’s an opportunity as a pitcher to get the ball every five to six days. That’s what a lot of those 'Quadruple-A guys' need. They need opportunities. When you don’t get consistent play, and play the up-and-down game, it makes it really hard to get over the hump. It’s a small detour for some guys."

The winter meetings conclude Thursday with the Rule 5 draft of unprotected minor-leaguers, and Stearns said his staff would meet to decide if the Brewers will make a selection. Even with the addition of Lindblom, they have five openings on their 40-man roster.