Parents Assure Kyle Hart: One More Year with Option for 2027

Left-handed pitcher Kyle Hart secures his stay with the San Diego Padres, after agreeing to a one-year contract that includes a club option for the 2027 season. Hart, who will turn 33 this Sunday, had a season with a 3-3 record, an ERA of 5.86, and a WHIP of 1.19 in six starts and 14 relief appearances for the Padres this year. He began the season as the Padres’ fifth starter, spent time in the minor leagues, and returned to San Diego as an effective reliever in the final stretch of the club’s 90-win season.

San Diego had declined a $5 million option with a $500,000 buyout for next season for Hart, who was selected as the best pitcher in South Korea while playing for the NC Dinos in 2024. Hart won the Choi Dong-won Award in the Korea Baseball Organization in 2024 after leading the league with 182 strikeouts. He went 13-3 with a 2.69 ERA in 26 starts, ranking second in the league in wins and ERA. He only gave up 38 walks to his 631 batters in 158 innings. The former 19th-round draft pick in the amateur draft had spent eight seasons primarily in the minor leagues in the United States, making his only previous major league appearances in 2020 with four games for the Boston Red Sox.