It has been four long years since Kyle Hart last took the mound in an MLB game, but he is aiming to make a triumphant return in 2025.
Hart came up through the Boston Red Sox's farm system starting in 2016, leading to his eventual big league debut in 2020. The left-hander went 0-1 with a 15.55 ERA, 3.091 WHIP and -0.9 WAR across 11.0 innings during the COVID-shortened season, though, all while he battled through Lyme disease.
After posting a 3.13 ERA across his first four seasons in the minors, Hart had a 4.67 ERA between 2021 and 2022. The Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies each gave Hart a shot in 2023, only for the southpaw to go 4-6 with a 4.53 ERA in Triple-A.
Hart elected to head overseas last winter, signing with the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Organization. That move, as it turned out, helped Hart revive his career.
In 26 starts this past season, Hart went 13-3 with a 2.69 ERA, 1.032 WHIP and 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The soon-to-be 32-year-old also managed to break the KBO single-season strikeout record by racking up 182 punchouts.
Now that his one-year, $900K contract in Korea has expired, Hart has a chance to come back stateside. The left-hander recently spoke with MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo, confirming that he is actively trying to return to MLB.
FanGraphs had Hart ranked as the No. 48 free agent on the market entering the offseason, with writer Ben Clemens projecting him to earn a three-year, $24 million contract.
Hart wouldn't be the first pitcher to fizzle out in America, dominate the KBO, then come back to MLB as a dark horse free agent. Erick Fedde did so last winter, erasing his struggles with the Washington Nationals with a one-year hiatus in Korea. The Chicago White Sox came calling with a two-year, $15 million contract offer, and Fedde pounced on it.
Fedde, who was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals at the deadline, finished 2024 with a 9-9 record, 3.30 ERA, 1.162 WHIP and 5.6 WAR in 31 starts.
If Hart can turn in that kind of production after getting his confidence back in Korea, he will draw some serious interest in free agency.
The 6-foot-5 lefty has a solid slider, a respectable changeup and a low-velocity fastball that he leaned on heavily with the Dinos.