The Detroit Tigers shipped Korean right-handed reliever Woo-Suk Go to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday for cash considerations. No player is coming back the other way.
Go wasn’t on Detroit’s 40-man roster, but his contract includes an assignment clause that forces the Twins to put him on the big league roster. He’s expected to make his MLB debut Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians.
The 27-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Tigers last December after bouncing through the Padres and Marlins organizations. He started this season at Double-A Erie and got bumped to Triple-A Toledo in May. Over 27 appearances (one start) this year, he went 3-1 with a 1.96 ERA. In 41⅓ innings, he struck out 54, walked 13 and didn’t give up a single homer. Opponents hit just .239 on balls in play.
Before coming to the States, Go spent seven seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization from 2017 to 2023. He signed a two-year, $4.5 million deal with San Diego ahead of the 2024 season, then got traded to Miami in the Luis Arraez deal before being designated for assignment in 2025. He also pitched for South Korea in this year’s World Baseball Classic, logging 3⅔ innings.
The Tigers never called him up despite the strong Triple-A numbers. After the trade they moved right-hander Luke Taggart from Erie to Toledo.
For Minnesota, this is about adding arm depth to a bullpen that’s been shaky all season. The Twins came into Sunday at 44-47, tied with Houston and two games back of an AL Wild Card spot. Their relievers have a 5.28 ERA with a 19.9% strikeout rate, an 11.5% walk rate and a 39.7% ground-ball rate — all bottom-10 marks in the majors. Andrew Morris is the only qualified reliever with an ERA under 4.00. He’s posted a 3.04 expected ERA with a 17.1% strikeout-minus-walk rate over 40 innings.
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