South Korean pitcher Go Woo-suk is on the verge of signing with the San Diego Padres, as his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club LG Twins gave him the green light Wednesday. Earlier in the day, New York Post columnist Jon Heyman tweeted that Go was close to a deal with the Padres to be their closer, though no financial terms were immediately available. Go had been posted for Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs in early December, and his 30-day negotiating window is scheduled to close at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Eastern Time, or 7 a.m. Thursday in South Korean time. Per an agreement between the KBO and MLB, South Korean clubs receive a "release fee" from MLB clubs for losing players via posting, a sum based on the guaranteed portion of a given player's contract. For instance, if the guaranteed value of the deal is US$25 million or less, the release fee will be 20 percent of the contract. If the contract is worth between $25,000,001 and $50 million, the fee will be 20 percent of the first $25 million, plus 17. 5 percent of any amount exceeding that $25 million. If a player signs for more than $50 million, his former KBO team will receive 20 percent of the first $25 million ($5 million) and 17.5 percent of the next $25 million ($4,375,000), plus 15 percent of the amount exceeding $50 million. Before agreeing to post Go in December, the Twins had said they would only let him leave if the money was right. Then on Wednesday, the Twins were informed of the Padres' offer to the pitcher, and decided to let him sign "out of respect for the player's wishes" to play in the majors. According to the Twins, Go took an early afternoon flight to the United States to finalize his deal with the Padres. He would become the second South Korean for the Padres, joining Gold Glove-winning infielder Kim Ha-seong. Go has been one of the KBO's top closers since assuming that role in 2019, two years after his debut. He has recorded 139 saves from 2019 to 2023, more than any other closer in that span. He has struck out 334 batters and wa lked 115 in 275 1/3 innings across those five seasons. His 2.39 ERA is also the lowest among all closers in the 2019-2023 period. The right-hander has also been one of the hardest-throwing relievers in the KBO. According to the KBO statistics site Statiz, Go averaged 152.5 kph with his fastball in 2023, tops among all relievers with at least 40 innings pitched. Go is about to become the second KBO player to sign with an MLB team through posting this winter. In December, former Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Lee Jung-hoo inked a six-year, $113 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. Go and Lee, both 25 years old, are close friends, and Go is married to Lee's younger sister. If Go's deal is finalized, he would become the third South Korean player in the National League (NL) West division, with him and Kim for the Padres and Lee for the Giants. And Go would make his MLB debut on home soil in Seoul, as the Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers are scheduled to open the 2024 season with a two-game set, dubbed the Seoul Series, on March 20-21 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. These will be the first MLB regular season games in South Korea. The Padres have been looking to bolster their bullpen after All-Star closer Josh Hader became a free agent. They recently signed Japanese reliever Yuki Matsui to a five-year, $28 million contract, though reports out of San Diego said incumbent reliever Robert Suarez, who has seven saves in his two-year career, is projected to be the Padres' closer in 2024. Matsui, who had 236 saves in Nippon Professional Baseball, gives the Padres a much-needed lefty option in the bullpen following Hader's departure, while Go would be their new right-handed reliever after another righty Nick Martinez signed with the Cincinnati Reds in free agency. The Padres blew a franchise-worst 28 saves in 2023. Source: Yonhap News Agency