Hanhwa Eagles bet big on former Yankees pitcher

The Hanwha Eagles on Saturday made a surprise announcement that they had signed the Dominican righthander Esmil Rogers, offering a deal worth $700,000 for the remainder of the season. He will fill the void left by the departure of Shane Youman, who was released on July 24 after suffering a shoulder injury. Youman had been 4-6 with a 4.52 ERA.

Rogers arrived in Korea on Saturday. He appeared in 18 games as a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees this season, with a record of 1-1 and a 6.27 ERA in 33 innings. The 29-year-old was released by the Yankees last week.

In seven seasons in the U.S. majors, Rogers had a 19-22 record with a 5.59 ERA in 210 games. He had also played for the Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays.

His agency, MDR Sports Management, and CBS Sports both reported that Rogers had signed for $1 million; the discrepancy in the figures has not been explained. But whatever his paycheck, Rogers will be earning a handsome sum for the 10 to 13 games he will probably pitch for the rest of the season.

Most mid-season imports accept contracts worth less than $500,000.

With that much money on the line, the Eagles’ manager, Kim Sung-keun, said there will be no minor league games or relief appearances for Rogers. He will probably make his league debut this week.

BY JOO KYUNG-DON [joo.kyungdon@joongang.co.kr]