Detroit Tigers trade Korean reliever Go Woo-suk to Minnesota Twins: reports
Korean reliever Go Woo-suk pitches against the Dominican Republic during the teams' quarterfinal game of the World Baseball Classic at loanDepot park in Miami, March 13. Yonhap
The Detroit Tigers have reportedly traded reliever Go Woo-suk to the Minnesota Twins, putting the Korean pitcher on the verge of a major league debut.
MLive Media Group's Evan Woodbery tweeted Sunday (U.S. local time) that the Twins were getting Go in exchange for cash consideration. Per Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Go, who had not been on the Tigers' 40-man roster, has an assignment clause in his contract and must now be added to the Twins' roster.
Later in the day, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Go will be added to his new club's 26-man roster for Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field in Minneapolis.
If Go takes the mound this week, he will become the 30th Korean player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. He will also join his brother-in-law, San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo, as the only two active Korean players in MLB at the moment. Two others who have seen action this season, Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kim Ha-seong of the Atlanta Braves, are currently in the minors and on the injured list, respectively.
Go, 27, has been pitching well in the minors for the Tigers. He posted a 0.66 ERA in eight outings in Double-A and then put up a 2.60 ERA in 19 appearances, covering 27 2/3 innings, in Triple-A.
Across those two levels, Go has recorded 54 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings.
The right-hander was a two-time All-Star for the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization and led the Korean league with 139 saves from 2019 to 2023.
Go signed with the San Diego Padres in January 2024 but was traded to the Miami Marlins in May without having pitched in Major League Baseball. Go only reached as high as Triple-A in the Marlins system.
The Marlins released him in June 2025, and then the Tigers acquired him on a minor league deal later that same month. Go spent the rest of the 2025 campaign in Triple-A, going 1-0 with a 4.29 ERA in 14 games.
Go became a free agent in November and rejoined the Tigers on another minor league deal in December.
Go pitched for Korea at the World Baseball Classic in March and has pitched well enough to force his way into the big leagues.
The Minnesota Twins have an open spot on their 40-man roster, and thus, no corresponding move will be necessary.
Their bullpen has the worst ERA in the majors with 5.28, and their opponents have hit .264 against the Twins relievers, the fourth-highest mark among the 30 big league teams. The Twins also rank in the bottom 10 in strikeout rate, walk rate and groundball rate.
Despite their bullpen woes, the Twins remain in contention for a wild card spot in the American League, and that likely means Go will not be assured of a long look out of the bullpen.
In May, Go turned down an offer from the LG Twins to rejoin them, telling his former club that he wanted to keep pursuing his major league dreams.
In a statement released by his Seoul-based agency, Leeco Sports Agency, later Monday, Go thanked the LG Twins for their understanding.
"I also want to thank LG Twins coaches and my training partners for helping me get to where I am today," Go said. "Ever since I rejected the offer from the LG Twins, I have been feeling guilty, thinking that I turned my back on the team that was going through a difficult stretch. Once again, I would like to thank the Twins and their fans for everything."
Go revealed that he and his wife are expecting their second child.
"I think I have had this luck all thanks to my wife," Go said. "Now that I am on a new starting line, I will try to do my absolute best."