Former San Diego Padres right-hander Pedro Avila has signed a contract with the SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the rest of the season, per an announcement from the KBO club on Wednesday.
The Cleveland Guardians released Avila, who had been pitching with their Triple-A affiliate, last week.
5-Year San Diego Padres Pitcher Pedro Avila Signs With KBO Team
GettyCLEVELAND, OHIO – OCTOBER 17: Pedro Avila #60 of the Cleveland Guardians reacts during the tenth inning against the New York Yankees during Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on October 17, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Avila is guaranteed $380K for the rest of the season and can earn up to $200K in incentives, according to Jee-ho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. He’s taking the roster spot of former MLB left-hander Anthony Venziano, whom the Landers recently released.
Avila made his MLB debut with the Padres in 2019. He made just one appearance that year, allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings.
Avila returned to the majors with San Diego in 2021, allowing one earned run on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts over four innings. He then made two relief appearances for the Padres in 2022, surrendering two earned runs across four innings.
The right-hander played a bigger role for the Padres in 2023, posting a 3.22 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 25 walks in 50 1/3 innings over 14 appearances (six starts).
After a rough start to the 2024 season with San Diego, in which he allowed eight earned runs on five hits and six walks across eight innings, Avila was designated for assignment on April 12, 2024. Five days later, the Padres traded the right-hander to the Cleveland Guardians for cash.
Avila played a key role for Cleveland out of the bullpen in 2024, recording a solid 3.25 ERA with 73 strikeouts and 30 walks in 74 2/3 innings across 50 appearances. He also had success in the postseason for Cleveland that season, recording four no-hit innings with three strikeouts across three outings.
Despite Avila’s success with the Guardians, the team designated him for assignment in the 2024-25 offseason.
Former Padre Pedro Avila Has Regressed After Strong 2024 Season With Guardians
Avila spent the 2025 season with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League. He struggled in Japan, posting a 4.04 ERA with a 17.8% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate.
After his stint in Japan, Avila returned to the Guardians on a minor-league deal. Before signing with the Landers, the right-hander posted a rough 7.50 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 32 walks. MLB Trade Rumors noted that Avila’s fastball velocity is notably down this season from his career mark of 93.6 mph, averaging just 92.1 mph.
At this point, Avila is likely hoping he can make a career in the KBO. Despite his MLB success in 2024, the right-hander’s stats over the past two seasons suggest he no longer has what it takes to pitch in the majors.
If Avila can pitch well enough to earn another KBO contract for next season, he could earn around $700K to $1 million, which would be a much higher rate than if he were to play in the minors for an MLB organization.
Game 3 of a four-game series between the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks is scheduled to begin at 7:10 PST tonight. Arizona won the first game of the series, and San Diego won the second.
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