Outfielder Bligh Madris is nearing a deal with the SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization, reports Francys Romero. He was granted his release from a minor league deal with the Cardinals over the weekend to pursue the KBO opportunity.
Madris, a left-handed batter, was having a big year with Triple-A Memphis. He slashed .277/.389/.519 with 14 homers. He walked in 15% of his plate appearances against a league average 22% strikeout rate. The 30-year-old is up to a .255/.350/.450 batting line in more than 2000 Triple-A plate appearances over parts of six seasons.
A ninth-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2017, Madris has played parts of three big league seasons between the Pirates, Astros and Tigers. He has only managed a .204/.273/.286 line in 72 MLB games and hasn’t reached the highest level since 2024. This will be his first stint overseas aside from playing winter ball in Australia, Mexico and Puerto Rico over the years.
KBO teams are limited to three foreign-born players from outside Asia on their active roster. The Landers have reshuffled their foreign player mix during the season, recently signing pitchers Thomas Hatch and Pedro Avila while waiving Mitch White and Anthony Veneziano. Outfielder Guillermo Heredia is reportedly dealing with a rotator cuff injury in his left shoulder, so it seems Madris will replace him in the short term.
