Phillies news and rumors 12/23: Former club prospect, trade piece heading to KBO

Citizens Bank Park has been home to the Phillies since 2004. (Tim Kelly/Phillies Nation)

When the Phillies acquired Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree from the Boston Red Sox before the 2020 trade deadline, the most difficult pill to swallow was not just that the incoming relievers flamed out upon their Philadelphia arrival and aided the Phillies’ free-fall in the last week of the season. It was that they did so at the cost of a prospect with some upside.

That was Connor Seabold, who went from Philly to Boston along with Nick Pivetta in that now infamous deal. Then 24, Seabold was the No. 23 prospect in the organization and had shown enough in the minors to make the Phillies bullish on their third-round pick in the 2017 draft.

Since, though, injuries have hampered Seabold’s ability to make an impact at the Major League level (with stints on the Red Sox and Colorado Rockies), and he’s now heading to the Korea Baseball Organization to find his footing overseas. The Samsung Lions have signed the righty to a contract, the club announced on Friday, for a reported $900,000 (plus $100,000 in incentives).

Seabold posted an 8.12 ERA across parts of three seasons with the Red Sox (2021-22) and Rockies (2023). The vast majority of his work came with Colorado, for whom Seabold posted a 7.52 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 27 games, including 13 starts, with 87 1/3 innings to his ledger.

As MLB Trade Rumors points out, Seabold is turning only 28 in January, so a return to MLB after a strong KBO stint could certainly be in the cards — much like it was for Erick Fedde, who revitalized his MLB career with one strong 2023 season in Korea. Whether Seabold can do the same is to be determined, but Phillies fans can root for such a feel-good story to come from their former prospect.

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Todd Zolecki of MLB.com

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Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer did a deep dive into the Phillies’ shortcomings with signing players directly from Japan, a history that dates back many years — as well as the club’s recently overhauled approach to the market, which they believe has them better positioned moving forward.