Dinos sign ex-minor league pitcher Curtis Taylor
New NC Dinos pitcher Curtis Taylor / Courtesy of the Dinos
The NC Dinos announced their signing of former minor league pitcher Curtis Taylor.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club said Taylor agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $900,000. The Canadian right-hander will make $420,000 in salary and took $280,000 in signing bonus. He can earn another $200,000 in incentives.
A fourth-round selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2016 draft, Taylor has not yet reached the majors, having reached as high as Triple-A.
In 2025, Taylor made 31 appearances, including 24 starts, for the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A club, the Memphis Redbirds. He went 10-4 with a 3.21 ERA over 137 1/3 innings, while recording 118 strikeouts against 51 walks.
Taylor has also pitched in Mexico and spent time in the minor leagues for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays and Diamondbacks.
In four Triple-A campaigns, Taylor has an 11-5 record with a 3.62 ERA across 196 2/3 innings, with 183 strikeouts and 78 walks.
The Dinos said Taylor, listed at 198 centimeters, has a five-pitch arsenal featuring four-seam fastball, sweeper, cutter, sinker and changeup and can touch 154 kilometers per hour with his four-seamer.
"He can command all five of his pitches. He can overpower hitters and can also pitch to contact," Dinos general manager Lim Sun-nam said. "We expect him to play a big role for us in 2026."
In a message relayed by the Dinos, Taylor said he grew up in Vancouver a fan of Korean pop culture, and cited Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning flick "Parasite" as one of his favorite films.
The Dinos finished the 2025 season with Riley Thompson and Logan Allen as their two foreign pitchers. They have decided not to re-sign Allen and are trying to bring back Thompson, who tied for the KBO lead with 17 wins and ranked third with 216 strikeouts in 2025.
The Dinos also acquired a former Yomiuri Giants pitcher Natsuki Tado as their Asian quota player on Wednesday.