KBO League right-handed pitcher David Buchanan (36), formerly of the Samsung Lions, has ultimately headed to Taiwan. After leaving Korea, his dream of returning to Major League Baseball ended in just one day, and he spent most of his time in the minor leagues before returning to the Asian stage.

The Fubon Guardians of the Taiwanese professional baseball league officially announced the signing of Buchanan on the 9th (Korea time). Buchanan, who was released by the Texas Rangers on the 29th of last month, reportedly reached an agreement with Fubon through a CBS Sports report on the 1st, and his move to Taiwan was ultimately confirmed with the team's official announcement.

Buchanan, who will enter Taiwan next week, will join the Fubon squad as soon as the administrative procedures are completed. Fubon has several foreign pitchers with experience in the KBO League, including Roenis Elias, Shawn Morimando (both former SSG), and Anderson Franco (former Lotte).

The Fubon organization introduced Buchanan as "a veteran who has experience in Major League Baseball, Japanese, and Korean professional baseball," noting that he joined the Samsung Lions in 2020 and achieved double-digit wins for four consecutive seasons, recording a total of 54 wins, 28 losses, an earned run average of 3.02, and 520 strikeouts. He was the KBO wins leader with 16 wins in 2016 and was selected as an All-Star in 2022-2023.

While specific contract terms have not been disclosed, it must be disappointing for Buchanan, who had rejected a multi-year contract from Samsung two years ago after the season and left Korea. Over four years in Korea, Buchanan received high praise for both his performance and character, earning the love of the team and fans. After the 2023 season, he was offered a multi-year contract by Samsung. It was the first offer with two years guaranteed for a foreign player in the KBO, but they could not find common ground on the amount.

Due to the foreign player salary cap, the maximum amount Samsung could offer was $2.4 million for 2024 and $2.5 million for 2025. Although it would be difficult for Samsung to fully guarantee this amount considering the salary cap with other foreign players, they still tried to retain him with the best conditions for a foreign player, but the contract fell through.

Leaving for the United States, Buchanan signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. In an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer last September, he stated the reason for leaving Korea was "due to family circumstances and things happening in our lives." Buchanan has a son and a daughter with his wife.

In Philadelphia, there were no big league opportunities. The starting rotation was so good that he continued to rotate in Triple-A. There were opportunities for call-ups, but those times coincided with Buchanan's decline in condition, and opportunities went to younger prospects. Eventually, he was traded for cash to Cincinnati at the end of August and was called up, making his Major League debut on September 1 against the Milwaukee Brewers after nine years. He pitched 3⅓ innings in relief, allowing two hits, two walks, striking out one, and giving up one run.

However, the joy of returning to the big leagues lasted only one day. The very next day, he was designated for assignment (DFA) and finished the season in Triple-A. This year, he signed a minor league contract with Texas, earning $1.375 million with full-time Major League registration, but it was an unattainable dream. From the early part of spring training, he injured his left ankle while training in defense, leading to a rough start.

Perhaps affected by this, he ended up with a record of 1 loss, 1 save, and an earned run average of 5.06 in four exhibition games (one start and 5⅓ innings) and was cut from the opening roster. Buchanan started the season with Round Rock Express in Triple-A, rotating as a starter but struggled with a record of 1 loss and an earned run average of 5.28 in six games (29 innings), ultimately heading to Taiwan less than one and a half seasons after leaving Korea, returning to Asia.

Meanwhile, the KBO League maintains the exclusive rights to Buchanan with his former team, Samsung. The original team retains these rights for five years for any foreign player they have made a re-signing offer to, meaning Samsung holds rights on Buchanan until 2028. If Buchanan wants to return to the KBO League with a different team, the rights must be released with Samsung's consent.

[OSEN]