Birch Smith, who was released due to injury after just one game in the Hanwha Eagles, succeeded in extending his active career.

Pittsburgh announced the list of 13 invited players for the spring camp on the 14th (Korea time) and said, "We have signed a minor league contract with pitcher Smith and outfielder Bryce Johnson."
Smith is a familiar face to Korean fans. 메이저놀이터

Smith, who made his major league debut in 2013 in a San Diego Padres uniform, went through the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics, recording a career-high 5-11 with one save and an ERA of 6.03 in 102 big league games through 2021.

Smith, who later began to experience Asian baseball through the Seibu Lions of the Japanese Professional Baseball (NBP), achieved a comprehensive performance with one win, four holds, one save and an ERA of 3.29 in 20 games.

The problem was his injury. Due to his frequent injury history, he ended up playing in 38 ⅓ innings. After failing to renew his contract with Seibu, Smith turned his attention to Korea. Ahead of the 2023 season, he successfully signed a contract worth 1 million U.S. dollars with Hanwha. Knowing Smith's history of injury, Hanwha even checked medical records 10 years ago.

However, Hanwha's efforts came to nothing. It was also hurt after just one game. The opening game against the Kiwoom Heroes on April 1 was his first and last. Smith complained of shoulder pain while pitching in the third inning, and was diagnosed with micro-damage to his shoulder muscles. Smith's recovery was slow, and Hanwha quickly decided to release him. His first and last record was three hits, one strikeout and two runs in two ⅔ innings.

Smith then raised eyebrows when he got into a war of words with his fans on social media. He said, "Take care in a trash country," and left.

After returning to the U.S., Smith signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, but transferred to the Miami Marlins through a trade. A big twist happened here. Smith successfully returned to the big league. Playing in the bullpen, Smith pitched 29 ⅔ innings in 25 games, recording 2 wins and 1 hold with an ERA of 4.25.

It was released after a decline in June, and then moved to the Baltimore Orioles and released again.

Smith, who has settled in Pittsburgh this time, is expected to compete to become a bullpen pitcher. Five players are David Bedner, Colin Holderman, Dennis Santana, Carmen Mozinski and Caleb Ferguson. They have to fight for one spot.