Padres sign Korean League Cy Young winner to one-year deal

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres' rotation picture gained further clarity on Thursday with the arrival of an intriguing high-upside left-hander.

Kyle Hart -- a former big leaguer who won the Korean version of the Cy Young Award while pitching in the KBO last season -- finalized a one-year contract that includes a club option for 2026, the team announced Thursday morning.

Hart promptly reported to Padres camp, where he joins a race for a spot at the back end of the rotation. The move gives San Diego further pitching depth, a day after right-hander Nick Pivetta reportedly agreed to a four-year deal (which is still pending a physical).

"I'm just happy to be here, to be able to help," Hart said. "Another reason I chose this organization is I think we're ready to win. I think we'll keep winning. And I'm a better pitcher when I'm on a team that's winning."

What to expect

Hart, 32, has limited experience in the big leagues -- only four appearances (three starts) for the Red Sox in 2020. He spent the next three seasons at the upper levels of the Minor Leagues before signing with the KBO's NC Dinos in 2024.

In his first season there, Hart won the Choi Dong-won Award, awarded to the league's top starting pitcher. He posted a 2.69 ERA with 182 strikeouts to just 38 walks over 157 innings.

Speaking from Padres camp on Thursday, Hart said he feels mostly like the same pitcher he was when he broke through in 2020. But he has since honed a sweeper and lowered his arm slot to great success. He said he was particularly intrigued by pitching coach Ruben Niebla’s ideas about potential improvements to his game.

"The display of resources that him and [game planning assistant] Peter Summerville had in our meeting -- it kind of blew me away," Hart said. "You're always trying to learn in this game. ... So I'm super excited to latch onto what this pitching department has for me."

Where does Hart fit?

When the next starting-pitching signing becomes official, the Padres will boast a formidable quartet of Dylan Cease, Michael King, Yu Darvish and Pivetta at the front of their rotation. Manager Mike Shildt noted Thursday that the team is likely to employ a five-man rotation, at least at the start of the season.

That leaves one place available, and Hart will be given every opportunity to win it. His primary competition includes right-handers Matt Waldron and Randy Vásquez.

"Adding Kyle Hart, it gives us another starting pitching option," said general manager A.J. Preller. "[He's] left-handed and is a guy that made some adjustments in Korea last year.

"In general, we like the group we have here in our camp, but we know we're always going to be looking for opportunity. Especially from a starting-pitching standpoint, we know we need a lot of options."

What's next?

First things first: The Padres hope to finalize the Pivetta signing in the coming days once the right-hander completes his physical. Beyond that? They still might not be done adding to their rotation mix.

"In terms of the pitching side, there are still a lot of good pitchers who are out there," Preller said. "At the end of the day, we'll still have active conversations with different guys that are on the market."

Preller noted those conversations would likely be held with potential non-roster invites who could join the rotation competition, but he seemed open to all possibilities.

Nonetheless, after a winter's worth of concerns over rotation depth, the Padres finally seem to have found some of it.

“A.J. does what A.J. does -- he supplements the club in areas we need it,” said Shildt. “… It's important from my seat and organizationally to know that we have quality depth in what’s a big part of the success of our club -- the starting rotation.”