Cardinals sign Kwang-hyun Kim to reported 2-year, $8M deal

The St. Louis Cardinals have a deal in place with Korean left-hander Kwang-hyun Kim, the team announced during a Tuesday press conference.

The contract is valued at $8 million over two years, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His deal also contains a unique "protection clause" that prevents the Cardinals from sending him to the minors, a source told Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency.

Kim, 31, has spent 12 seasons with SK Wyverns in the KBO League. Over 30 starts last year and one appearance out of the bullpen, he authored a 2.51 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, throwing 190 1/3 innings.

"We had robust scouting reports on him, we had a lot of analytical support that backed up the success he's having over in the KBO, and we looked at our needs, especially if you look at the left side of our pitching, it made a lot of sense to pursue this," said Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. "Over the past couple of weeks, as we were exploring the trade market, the free-agent market, it brought us back to KK.

"We're really excited that we were able to get this done."

Kim was previously posted by SK Wyverns following the 2014 season. After the San Diego Padres won the bidding, the two parties were unable to come to an agreement, and Kim stayed in Korea.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Kim, the Cardinals designated outfielder Adolis Garcia for assignment. The 26-year-old appeared in 21 games last year at the major-league level, hitting .118/.118/.176 with three runs scored.