PEORIA, Ariz. – The San Diego Padres have officially signed left-handed pitcher Kyle Hart to a one-year contract for the 2025 season, with a club option for 2026. The announcement was made by President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller.
Hart, 32, had an impressive 2024 season with the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization, where he earned the Choi Dong-won Award, the KBO’s equivalent of MLB’s Cy Young Award. He led the league with 182 strikeouts and ranked second in both wins (13) and ERA (2.69) over 26 starts. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound southpaw allowed just 38 walks among the 631 batters he faced, resulting in a 6.0 percent walk rate and a 28.8 percent strikeout rate. His 124 hits allowed were the fewest among all qualifying KBO starters.
Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Hart was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 19th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he gave up 19 earned runs over 11.0 innings in four appearances (three starts) for Boston. Over seven minor league seasons with Boston (2016-22), the Seattle Mariners (2023), and the Philadelphia Phillies (2023), Hart posted a 42-47 record with a 3.72 ERA (290 ER, 701.2 IP) and 618 strikeouts against 259 walks in 143 appearances (119 starts), including five complete games.
Hart was Indiana University’s Friday night starter in his 2016 senior season, leading the Big Ten in wins (10) and graduating as the second-winningest pitcher in Hoosiers history with 31 wins. He was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2016, named to the ABCA/Rawlings Mideast All-Region Team, and earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors twice.
