left handed pitcher Ronis Elias It is reported that he has signed a contract with the Fubon Defenders of Taiwan CPBL for the 2025 season. TSNA (h/t to CPBL Stats) first reported the news (link in Chinese) and Francys Romero later confirmed the news. The lefty will receive a guaranteed salary of $500,000.
Elias, 36, spent seven seasons in MLB with the Mariners, Red Sox and Nationals. His best year was his rookie season with Seattle in 2014, when he threw 163 2/3 innings in 29 starts with a 3.85 ERA and 3.96 SIERA. Unfortunately, he struggled to replicate that success. From 2015-22, he pitched 232 major league innings in 104 games (25 starts) with a 4.03 ERA and 4.49 SIERA.
Although Elias signed a minor league contract with the Cubs before the 2023 season, he made just four starts with Triple-A Iowa before the organization released him to pursue his career overseas. In May, he signed a $540,000 contract with the KBO’s SSG Landers and pitched to a 3.70 ERA in 131 1/3 innings the rest of the year. The ERA was well below the league average of 4.14 and the walk rate was 6.0%. Those numbers were enough to earn him another season (and a raise) from the Landers, who signed him to a one-year, $10,000 contract extension through the 2024 season.
Unfortunately, the 2024 season isn’t going to be that great for Elias. He missed time with an oblique injury and finished with a 4.08 ERA in 123 2/3 innings. However, it’s worth pointing out that his ERA was actually better His strikeout rate also improved from 17.0% to 19.8% in 2023 compared to the league average in 2024, while slightly lowering his walk rate. Despite this, it appears Landers has not opted to bring him back for a third year with the club. Instead, Elias will take a pay cut and try to establish himself in a new foreign league.
