Browsing: Seojun

Back in January, the Blue Jays†pursuit of Roki Sasaki prompted them to take on $11 million of the money owed to Myles Straw in order to get $2 million in international bonus pool space from the Guardians.

While Toronto did not sign the Japanese sensation, who opted for Dodgers, Straw became a valuable extra outfielder for the American League champions, while the extra bonus pool money landed them Seojun Moon, an intriguing South Korean righthander.

The 18-year-old signed for $1.5 million in September and was the Blue Jays’ first significant foray into the Korean amateur market.

Moon is 6-foot-4 and features a low-90s fastball that has been up to 95 mph, while also throwing a changeup, curveball, slider and sinker.

He may be raw, but the Blue Jays aim to develop him as a starter.

“Mentally, I feel pretty confident in my own ability,†Moon said in comments interpreted by pro scouting manager Bryan Lee. “Physically, I still need to grow and get stronger and throw harder. So I want to just get better at every component of my game.â€

He chose to do that with the Blue Jays rather than entering the Korea Baseball Organization draft because “as a young child, I’ve always dreamt of pitching at the big league level,” Moon said, “so I decided to make this choice now instead of later.

“This is where the best players play.”

The Blue Jays intended to have him take part in some of their fall development camps after he made a visit to Rogers Centre.

“It’s my first time seeing such a big stadium,†Moon said. “It actually motivates me more so I could be here some day.â€

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The Toronto Blue Jays signed Korean right-handed pitcher Seojun Moon as an international free agent on Wednesday, according to Mitch Bannon of The Athletic.

Per Bannon, the Los Angeles Dodgers were “very interested” in Moon before he agreed to join the Blue Jays.

The 18-year-old pitched at Jangchung High School prior to signing with Toronto.

Moon will receive $1.5 million in international bonus money as part of the agreement with Toronto, according to Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling.

The Blue Jays previously gained $2 million of international bonus pool space as part of a Jan. 17 trade in which the team acquired outfielder Myles Straw from the Cleveland Guardians.

As for Moon, he posted a 2.18 ERA in high school while recording 93 strikeouts in 66 innings of work without allowing a home run (h/t Brandon Holmyard of the Toronto Star).

While a potential MLB debut may take time, he should still become an intriguing piece of Toronto’s farm system.

The Blue Jays reportedly beat out the Dodgers to land Moon, which could be a promising sign for their success on the international free-agent market moving forward.

Toronto heavily pursued starting pitcher RÅki Sasaki in international free agency at the end of the 2024 season, although he eventually ended up signing with Los Angeles instead.

As the Blue Jays currently look to remain atop the American League East standings to close out the regular season, their future also looks brighter following Wednesday’s move.

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