KT Wiz bring back Mel Rojas Jr. for $900,000, re-sign Will Cuevas on $1.5 million deal

Baseball

Published: 07 Dec. 2023, 16:19

KT Wiz bring back Mel Rojas Jr. for $900,000, re-sign Will Cuevas on $1.5 million deal

Mel Rojas Jr. of the KT Wiz smiles after hitting a home run in June 2020. [YONHAP]

The KT Wiz are bringing back former star Mel Rojas Jr. on a deal worth $900,000 and have re-signed Will Cuevas on a new $1.5 million contract, the team announced Thursday.

The wait is over: LG Twins beat KT Wiz to win Korean Series

Rojas returns to the KBO after brief stints in Japan and South America while Cuevas heads back to the Wiz for his sixth year in a row.

"I am happy to wear the KT uniform again. I had many good memories while playing at KT and had a strong desire to return," Rojas said, according to multiple Korean media reports. "I’m looking forward to seeing colleagues and fans again."

Rojas, 33, joined the Wiz in 2017 after a career in the minor leagues. He spent four years with the Wiz before signing with Japan's Hanshin Tigers after the 2020 KBO season. He recorded a .321 batting average with 132 home runs and 409 RBIs across his four-year stint in the KBO and was named the 2020 MVP.

Cuevas, 33, first signed with the Wiz in 2019 after seeing both the Minors and the Majors. The right-hander has a career 3.64 ERA with 45 wins and 23 losses over a total 100 games. He sat out the majority of the 2022 season after helping pitch the Wiz to a Korean Series win in 2021.

KT Wiz starter Will Cuevas pitches during a game against the LG Twins in Game 2 of the 2023 Korean Series in November. [NEWS1]

Cuevas was on the mound with the Wiz in the Series again this year, finishing as runners-up to the LG Twins. He had his best series yet, earning a 2.60 ERA with 12 wins and zero losses in 18 games.

KBO teams are allowed up to three foreign players per year.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]