The SSG Landers announced the signing of former Major League Baseball pitcher Drew VerHagen to a one-year contract on December 6. This comes just as their ace Drew Anderson reportedly returns to the MLB with the Detroit Tigers. VerHagen, with extensive experience in MLB and Japan's NPB, will bolster the Landers' starting rotation.
The SSG Landers announced on December 6, 2025, the signing of 35-year-old American pitcher Drew VerHagen to a one-year deal worth up to $900,000, including a $750,000 salary, $50,000 signing bonus, and $100,000 in incentives. VerHagen was selected in the fourth round of the 2012 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers and debuted with them in 2014. He stayed with the Tigers until 2019, then pitched for Japan's Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from 2020 to 2021, returned to the St. Louis Cardinals for 2022 and 2023, and rejoined the Fighters for the past two seasons.
In 206 MLB career games, including eight starts, VerHagen posted an 18-12 record with a 4.98 ERA, 234 strikeouts, and 115 walks over 281 2/3 innings. In Triple-A, he had 56 starts in 76 outings, going 20-20 with a 3.98 ERA, 258 strikeouts, and 103 walks in 323 1/3 innings. Across four NPB seasons, he recorded 18-19 with a 3.68 ERA, 278 strikeouts, and 78 walks in 283 1/3 innings. In 2025, he appeared in six NPB games for the Fighters, going 3-3 with a 6.08 ERA, while pitching 15 games for their minor league affiliate.
The Landers described the 198 cm VerHagen as an aggressive pitcher capable of overpowering hitters with a fastball reaching 155 kph and four quality secondary pitches: slider, changeup, curveball, and sweeper. "We like his ability to command his pitches and pound the strike zone with precision," the Landers said. "He has the poise to work his way out of trouble, and that's a huge asset. Given his substantial MLB and NPB experience, we expect him to eat up a ton of innings in our starting rotation."
Under KBO rules, teams can sign up to two foreign-born pitchers, with an additional Asian or Australian player allowed starting in 2026. The Landers signed Japanese pitcher Shota Takeda in November as their Asian quota player, and VerHagen effectively replaces Anderson, who has reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with the Tigers pending a physical. Anderson, 31, joined the Landers mid-2024 and dominated over two seasons with a 23-10 record, 2.91 ERA, 403 strikeouts in 287 1/3 innings—the most in the KBO during that period. In 2025, he ranked second league-wide with 245 strikeouts, the second-highest single-season total in KBO history.
Anderson's prior career included Tigers spring training in 2024 followed by Triple-A, two years with NPB's Hiroshima Toyo Carp, 19 MLB games from 2017-2021 for the Phillies, Rangers, and White Sox, and a brief stint in Australia. The Landers' other foreign pitcher in 2025 was half-Korean right-hander Mitch White, who went 11-4 with a 2.87 ERA in 24 starts.