Ex-big leaguers Roenis Elías and Guillermo Heredia agreed to terms as with the SSG Landers per a Jeeho-Yoo report a few days ago. Heredia agreed to a one-year deal worth approximately 1.5 million dollars with incentives, while Elías inked with the Korean club for 1 million plus incentives.
Elías who was the ace for Cuba in the World Baseball Classic had a 2-0 record and 5.48 ERA this year in four starts with the Iowa Cubs. (AAA). With SSG Elías made 22 starts posting an 8-6 record and 3.70 earned run average. The lefty also fanned 93 in 131⅓ innings pitched and had a solid 1.31 WHIP in the KBO.
There it is @MyKBO !! A left-handed pitcher signing a contract with his right hand (Roenis Elias on the right, signing his new deal with the SSG Landers)… Photo courtesy of the Landers.
On left is Guillermo Heredia, who throws left, bats right, and signs his contract left pic.twitter.com/hVlh9RrDwT
— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) December 17, 2023
The left-hander was also coming off a dominant season in the best Winter League in the Caribbean in 2022, the LIDOM. With the Águilas Cibaeñas of the Dominican circuit the native of Guantánamo, Cuba sported a 4-0 record, 0.92 earned run average, a 0.77 WHIP and fanned 38 batters in 39 innings pitched. The only reason the hurler did not win the pitcher of the year in the league was because he was an inning short of qualifying for the minimum amount of IP for the prize.
In Heredia’s case who was an All-Star last season with SSG, the outfielder hit .324 with 12 longballs , 76 RBIs and slashed a solid .385/.461/.846 in 122 games with the Landers. His return gives SSG a big bat at the top of the order. In seven major league seasons the native of Matanzas, Cuba hit .231 with 27 homeruns and 114 runs batted in and was part of a World Championship team with Atlanta in .221 as a key backup and defensive ace for the Braves.
With the addition of these two talented Cubans SSG not only expects to make the playoffs again, but also recapture their KBO title, the team was the circuit’s champion in 2022.