Right-hander Ben Lively has agreed to sign with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization, according to Naver Sports (h/t: Sung Min Kim of FanGraphs). He’ll take the roster spot of another former major league righty, Deck McGuire, whom the Lions will release.
Lively had been with the Diamondbacks, who acquired him from the Royals for cash considerations toward the end of June. As a member of those two teams’ Triple-A affiliates this season, the 27-year-old combined for 72 1/3 innings of 4.48 ERA pitching with 9.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.
Lively also tossed one inning with the Royals this year, but he’s best known for his time with the Phillies – who acquired him from the Reds for outfielder Marlon Byrd in December 2014. Lively worked his way to the majors in 2017 and proceeded to post a 4.81 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 over 112 1/3 innings between then and 2018.
McGuire, now 29, entered the pros as the 11th overall pick of the Blue Jays in 2010. Despite that lofty selection, he hasn’t had much success in the majors or at the Triple-A level with multiple organizations. McGuire also had trouble in the hitter-friendly KBO, where he logged a 5.05 ERA and notched 8.0 K/9 against 5.3 BB/9 in 112 1/3 frames this season.