Phillies pitcher leaves MLB to sign contract in Korea's KBO

Billy Heyen

Phillies pitcher leaves MLB to sign contract in Korea's KBO image

Matt Manning wasn't with the Philadelphia Phillies for very long.

He won't be coming back, either.

The right-handed pitcher is heading to Korea to play in the KBO.

The Samsung Lions announced Sunday that Manning has signed a one-year, $1 million contract to play for them.

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Manning was outrighted away from the Phillies' roster in September and chose minor league free agency in November.

He was originally the No. 9 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft by the Tigers.

Manning appeared in parts of four MLB seasons with Detroit. In 50 starts, he had a 4.43 ERA with 178 strikeouts in 254 innings pitched.

He didn't come to the Phillies until the 2025 trade deadline. The Tigers traded him to Philadelphia for minor leaguer Josueth Quinonez.

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At that point, Manning headed to Double-A Reading, where he made just two outings (10.80 ERA) before the season was over.

It appears that Manning has never lived up to the hype of when he was drafted.

At 27 years old, Manning still has time to revitalize his career in the KBO and potentially return stateside. But for now, he'll be crossing the Pacific to continue his baseball life.

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Editorial Team