Kyle Hart is looking to follow Erick Fedde's path

Among many others, one of the big storylines from the 2023-2024 offseason was Erick Fedde.

Fedde’s career with the Washington Nationals had stalled. The former first-round draft pick (#18 overall in 2014) had struggled over six seasons, posting a 5.41 ERA across 454.1 IP with subpar peripheral stats. Finding little interest from other MLB teams and looking to capitalize on the financial opportunity, Fedde signed a one-year deal worth $1 million to head to Korea and play for the NC Dinos in 2023.

Fedde made 30 starts for the Dinos, going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA in 180.1 IP and 209 strikeouts. Fedde became the first foreign-born pitcher to register 20 wins and 200+ strikeouts in a single season. He’d play in the KBO All-Star Game, won the league MVP Award, and the Choi Dong-won Award (their equivalent to the Cy Young).

Following the phenomenal season, Fedde found himself with multiple MLB teams vying to sign him before agreeing to a two-year, $15M deal with the Chicago White Sox.

Fast forward a year and a similar story is cropping up.

Kyle Hart was a 19th-round pick by Boston in the 2016 Draft and similarly to Fedde, his career had stalled. Hart’s lone MLB experience amounted to four appearances totaling 11 innings during the 2020 season. He was hit hard — allowing 19 earned runs on 24 hits (four homers) with 10 walks and 13 strikeouts.

Despite Hart’s experience and track record at Triple-A, he failed to find an MLB offer last offseason and elected to head to Korea and join the Dinos. Hart made 26 starts for the team this past season, going 13-3 with a 2.69 ERA over 157 IP with 182 strikeouts. Following the season he also won the Choi Dong-won Award.

Now Hart is seeking a return to MLB.

Hart doesn’t have the same track record as Fedde. His season in the KBO wasn’t as dominant. His stuff also doesn’t quite match up (Fedde was viewed as a mid-rotation option upon his return, whereas Hart may be better suited in a bullpen role). Hart is unlikely to match Fedde’s two-year, $15M guarantee.

Still, he presents an interesting case to watch. The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Katie Woo report that the Astros, Brewers, Orioles, Twins, and Yankees are among the teams to have shown interest. New York, in particular, doesn’t have room in their rotation so if that’s a role Hart prefers then they’re likely not a realistic landing spot for him.