Manning to KBO

[David Panian]

Former Tigers pitcher Matt Manning is taking his career to South Korea. 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/kbo-leagues-samsung-lions-sign-matt-manning.html

He’s signed with the Samsung Lions of the KBO. He’ll make $1 million next season. I wonder if their players get free or discounted Samsung products?

The Lions’ hometown is Daegu in the southeastern part of South Korea.

The Tigers traded Manning to Philadelphia this past July 31, then the Phillies released him in September.

Maybe he can pitch well enough for the Lions to find his way back to an MLB team.

David

[Peter Welch]

Good luck to Matt.  Maybe he can do a Cody Ponce and pitch well over there for a few years and come back to the majors eventually and get a nice payday like Ponce just did with the Blue Jays.

I really thought Manning was going to be a future #1/#2 starter back in 2019 when he had a dominant season with Erie at age 21.  

Covid canceled the minor league season in 2020 and that might have knocked back his development somewhat.

Manning was a raw prospect when the Tigers drafted him in 2016 with the 9th-overall pick.  He was more of a basketball player than baseball pitcher in high school until his junior year.  Al Avila loved his raw physical tools as a pitcher.  Manning seemed to be developing well in the Tigers' system but after 2020 the Tigers' pitching gurus could never really help him develop into a top starter.  He pitched ok for a couple of seasons with the Tigers in 2023 and 2024 but looked more like a #4/#5 starter.  He had a low strikeout rate and would often give up hard contact.

Something really went off the rails with him in the past couple of years.  He had bad luck with freak broken bone injuries on balls that hit him, but he's never had Tommy John surgery or any shoulder issues.  His fastball velocity was never consistent.  He would throw 95-97 mph in some innings and then only in the low 90s in other innings.  He never could develop enough of a consistent slider, curveball or change-up.

Fetter and the Tigers' pitching braintrust couldn't help him with his mechanics.

I wonder if Manning wishes he had stuck with basketball.  His dad played in the NBA.

Peter

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From: detroit...@googlegroups.com <detroit...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of David Panian <dpa...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, December 1, 2025 12:14 AM
To: Tigers List <detroit...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Manning to KBO

 

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[Peter Welch]

Correction: Manning pitched ok for the Tigers in 2022 and 2023.  It was 2024 when things started going off the rails with him.  He failed to make the Tigers' Opening Day roster out of spring training in 2024 and made only 5 starts for the Tigers that year, mostly as a spot starter in doubleheaders.

Peter

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From: Peter Welch <pw...@hotmail.com>
Sent: Friday, December 5, 2025 12:25 PM
To: Tigers List <detroit...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Manning to KBO

 

[Roger King]

Right, but 2023-2024 was the offseason when the Tigers signed both Flaherty and Maeda meaning they were already guaranteed rotation spots, along with Skubal and Olson.  Mize showed he had recovered from surgery and had a good spring so he grabbed the final rotation spot.  This sent Manning to Toledo despite a 3.38 ERA in 16 innings pitched in spring training.  

He was also coming off a second half in 2023 where he went 2-2, with a 1.62 ERA in 33.1 innings pitched, which included a combined no-hitter in July vs Toronto.  

So he obviously makes the 2024 starting staff if not for Maeda.  Instead, he kind of floundered in Toledo, had those 5 spot starts with the Tigers that Peter mentions and then got injured in July, only returning to Toledo in September.

There is perhaps a different career reality for Manning if he's on the staff to start 2024 and Harris never signs Maeda.

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[Peter Welch]

Really makes the Maeda signing even more head-scratching.  Harris still has a lot to explain for that one, especially giving Maeda 2 years.

Peter

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From: Roger King <pnag...@pnagency.com>
Sent: Friday, December 5, 2025 12:47 PM
To: Peter Welch <pw...@hotmail.com>
Cc: Tigers List <detroit...@googlegroups.com>

[Roger King]

Harris likely wasn’t sure that Mize would be ready for the rotation right out of spring training, given he was coming back from two injuries.  But that still doesn’t explain why the need to sign Maeda for *2 years*.

That said, I actually think Flaherty was sort of the insurance add-on and Maeda was their initial free agent target. He was signed first I’m pretty sure and then Flaherty a little later that off-season.

Just a bad call right across the board on signing Maeda at all, let alone for more than a year.  

Roger King
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[Michael W]

It does seem like there's a psychological let down for guy who really should get a promotion but doesn't.  They often seem to go into a deep funk.  Manning is a good example, Steven Moya is another, and my impression is that it happens pretty often, especially if you consider promotions with the minor-leagues.  Last year, when a whole bunch of players got promoted at mid-season, and Max Anderson, who was crushing it, did not, he immediately went into a deep slump.

Michael