CPBL Foreign Players Updates Volume #348
CTBC Brothers News: Eric Stout
On August 27, the CTBC Brothers announced they had sold Eric Stout’s contract to an overseas team. While the Brothers did not specify which team, Liberty Sports reported that the unnamed team was the KIA Tigers of the KBO.
“Because Eric Stout’s contract included an escape clause, we were able to prepare for this situation in advance,” said the CTBC Brothers’ general manager to Liberty Sports. “The Brothers organisation respects his decision and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.”
“Thank you to all the Brothers’ fans for making us feel at home over the past two years. Thanks for everything and for your support,” said Eric Stout.
CTBC Brothers’ Eric Stout allowed 1 run and struck out 9 over 6 innings. Note: The radar gun at the Taipei from last night was probably around 10 kph slower. #CPBL pic.twitter.com/BUnzOlJ1XB
— CPBL STATS 🪬🔮 (@GOCPBL) April 6, 2024
KBO Deal: 4 Weeks, $45,000 USD for Eric Stout
The signing came together on August 24 when the KIA Tigers’ ace, James Naile, was struck in the face by a comebacker. The Tigers later revealed that Naile had suffered a fractured jaw and would be sidelined indefinitely.
Eric Stout, who has been on KBO teams’ radar for quite some time, fits the replacement role perfectly as a last-minute emergency signing. According to Korean media, the KIA Tigers signed Stout to a short-term (roughly 4 weeks) contract worth $45,000 USD.
According to CPBL columnist Wang Yi-Hsuan, although a $45,000 USD salary for 4 weeks is roughly the same as what the CTBC Brothers were paying. But for Eric Stout, this is more of an opportunity to secure a full-season KBO deal in 2025.
Eric Stout finished his 2024 CPBL season with a 2.77 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP over 113.2 innings. As of August 28, he is currently ranked 7th in the league for ERA and 4th in strikeouts.
With Eric Stout leaving for Korea, as of today, the CTBC Brothers currently have Shawn Morimando, José De Paula, Kirk McCarty, Daniel Mengden, and Angel Sánchez as their foreign players for the 2024 CPBL season. As per CPBL regulation, the Brothers will have to trim the number of foreign players down to 4 by August 31.
Further Readings
Foreign players come and go. Therefore, we have compiled a tracker to monitor all foreign player signings for the 2024 CPBL season.