By Jon Paul HoornstraShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe Matt Manning era in Philadelphia began quietly, when the Phillies acquired the pitcher from the Detroit Tigers for a low-level minor leaguer at the July trade deadline.
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Technically, Manning never set foot in Citizens Bank Park. He was assigned to Double-A Reading after the trade, made two appearances, and lost his spot on the 40-man roster when he was outrighted in September. Manning elected free agency after the season.
Now, the ninth overall pick of the 2016 draft is heading overseas for the first time in his career.
...According to the Korea Times, Manning has a $1 million contract with the Samsung Lions of KBO, the top league in South Korea.
The 27-year-old right-hander made 50 appearances for the Detroit Tigers from 2021-24. He's 11-15 with a 4.43 ERA in 254 major league innings.
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Manning looked like a potential mainstay in the big leagues when he went 7-7 with a 3.51 ERA (118 ERA+) in 27 starts from 2022-23 with the rebuilding Tigers.
But the former top prospect — he ranked No. 3 in the organization in 2021 according to MLB Pipeline, ahead of Riley Greene and Tarik Skubal — also missed significant time with injuries in each of those seasons.
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Injuries to Manning's shoulder and forearm limited him to 12 starts in 2022. The right-hander was struck by baseballs twice in his right foot in 2023 and only made 15 starts.
In 2024, Manning posted a 3.38 ERA in five spring training starts, and only allowed eight hits in 16 innings, but was assigned to Triple-A Toledo to begin the season. He made just five big league appearances that year, going 0-1 with a 4.88 ERA.
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In 2025, Manning never made it out of the minors. He had a 12.54 ERA in four spring training appearances, then went 2-2 with a 6.04 ERA in 31 games at Toledo to begin the season.
Now Manning will get a fresh start with a new organization — on a new continent, no less — as he looks to revive his career.
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