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Landers considering replacing new American pitcher over health issue

Published: 13 Jan. 2026, 19:37

New SSG Landers pitcher Drew VerHagen signs his contract with the club in this file photo provided by the Landers on Dec. 6, 2025. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The SSG Landers said Tuesday they will consider replacing their new American pitcher, Drew VerHagen, over an undisclosed health issue.

A Landers official said the team identified a problem with VerHagen's physical, but declined to specify what the issue was because the Landers were still deciding whether to cut bait or keep VerHagen in the fold. The official acknowledged the team had begun negotiating with another pitcher.

The Landers signed VerHagen, 35, to a one-year deal worth up to $900,000 — $750,000 in salary, $50,000 in signing bonus and $100,000 in incentives — on Dec. 6.

The right-hander made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2014 and remained with them until 2019. He then pitched for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 2020 to 2021, and his stint in Japan was followed by two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022 and 2023.

VerHagen had a second run with the Fighters from 2024 to 2025.

In 206 career MLB games, including eight starts, VerHagen had an 18-12 record with a 4.98 ERA, plus 234 strikeouts and 115 walks in 281 2/3 innings.

In Triple-A, VerHagen made 56 of his 76 appearances as a starter. He had a 20-20 record with a 3.98 ERA, along with 258 strikeouts and 103 walks in 323 1/3 innings there.

Across four NPB seasons, VerHagen went 18-19 with a 3.68 ERA, 278 strikeouts and 78 walks in 283 1/3 frames.

The Landers said in December that they liked VerHagen's overpowering fastball and his command of secondary pitches, including a slider and sweeper, and that they were counting on him to eat up a lot of innings at the top of their rotation.

The Landers signed VerHagen to replace their former No. 1 starter Drew Anderson, who signed with the Tigers after two strong seasons in the KBO. He recorded 403 strikeouts combined in 2024 and 2025, more than any other pitcher in that two-year stretch, including 245 Ks last year, the second-highest total for a season in KBO history.

Yonhap