[OSEN=이상학 기자] Pitcher David Buchanan (34), who rejected Samsung Lions’ offer to renew his contract and return to the United States, returned to his home team, the Philadelphia Phillies. However, it was not the major league deal that was expected, but a minor league deal.
Philadelphia announced a minor league contract with right-handed pitcher Buchanan on the 14th (Korea time). Buchanan will participate in the Philadelphia spring training held in Clearwater, Florida, as an invited player and try again for the big league.
Buchanan negotiated a contract renewal with Samsung last winter, but the talks fell through. Samsung tried to keep Buchanan by offering a multi-year contract, but due to the overseas salary cap, the maximum offer was $2.4 million in 2024 and $2.5 million in 2025. It was difficult for Samsung to give Buchanan this amount in order to secure free space when renewing contracts with other foreign players.
In the end, Samsung completed a contract with Denny Reyes on the 4th of last month as another foreign pitcher following Connor Siebold. That was the moment when I decided to break up with Buchanan. At the time, Samsung announced, ‘Unfortunately, recently Buchanan, who has been on the mound for Samsung for the past four years, rejected the club’s final offer when considering moving on to the major leagues, and negotiations for new contract unfortunately. .’
After the failed contract renewal, Buchanan left a message for fans through his wife’s SNS. Buchanan said, “I really wanted to be with Samsung, and I thought I wanted to finish my career as a player at Samsung, but it didn’t go the way I wanted,” and “It was a very difficult decision. But I wanted to convey how precious my fans are to me. My family gave us lots of love from the first day we arrived until the last day. I am grateful beyond words. I will always keep you all in my heart and remember you forever. I hope to see you again one day in the future. “Blue blood will always flow through my body,” he said as he said goodbye.
After that, attention focused on whether or not he would return to the major leagues. The Cincinnati Reds were said to be showing great interest, but for some reason, contract news was rarely heard. Although the exact reason is unknown, the mood changed after Cincinnati signed free agent pitcher Frankie Montas to a one-year contract worth $16 million in late December of last year. In the end, a contract with Cincinnati was not reached, and Buchanan signed a minor league contract with his hometown of Philadelphia.
He left Korea, where he was guaranteed a high salary, and took on a tough challenge as a minor leaguer in his mid-30s. The only positive is that Philadelphia is a team that is not very unfamiliar to Buchanan. Drafted by Philadelphia in the 7th round and 231st overall in the 2010 draft, Buchanan went through a minor league training course and made his major league debut in 2014. That year, he started all 20 games, pitched 117⅔ innings, and recorded 6 wins, 8 losses, an ERA of 3.75, 71 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.29.
Although he had a fairly successful first season, his sophomore season failed miserably. He joined the opening roster and started 15 games (74 ⅔ innings), but fell to 2 wins, 9 losses, a 6.99 ERA, 44 strikeouts, and a 1.85 WHIP. Due to his ups and downs, he went up and down the major and minor levels throughout the season, failing to live up to expectations.
In 2016, he spent a full season in Triple A without receiving a major league call, and moved to Japan in 2017. After performing well in Yakult Swallows for three years until 2019, recording 71 games (433⅔ innings), 20 wins, 30 loss, ERA of 4.07, 265 strikeouts, and WHIP of 1.39, he went to Korea in 2020.
Buchanan, who made his KBO League debut wearing a Samsung uniform, spent four years, the longest ever as a Samsung overseas player, until last year. Buchanan, who started all 113 games over a four-year career, pitched 699⅔ innings and was a top performer with 54 wins, 28 losses, a 3.02 ERA, 539 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.27. During this time, he was tied for first in most wins, most quality starts (80), and second in earned run average and strikeout, and was Samsung Mound’s only hope in during the dark periods.
As an ace, his competitive spirit and sense of responsibility were also great. Two shutouts and four complete games over four years are league records. During this time, Buchanan recorded the most innings and pitches (11,375 pitches) in the entire KBO League. In most cases, he left a strong impression with his tenacity that did not come off the mound easily. With his rigorous routine and self-control, he became an example for domestic players, including Won Tae-in, and received a lot of love from fans with his unique exciting personality and showmanship.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia has a stable starting lineup of five players: Jack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suarez, and Christopher Sanchez. In a situation where additional starting backup resources were needed, Buchanan was brought in on a minor league contract. It remains to be seen whether Buchanan, who is going through a difficult path, can achieve his dream of returning to the big leagues after nine years.
/waw@osen.co.kr
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