Woo-Suk Go’s path to the majors has been anything but smooth, but the right-hander is finally getting another crack at it.
The Minnesota Twins have acquired Go from the Detroit Tigers in a low-profile deal, and because he exercised an upward mobility clause in his contract, the Twins are required to add him to both their 40-man and active rosters. Dan Hayes reported that Go will join the team on Tuesday.
#MNTwins are acquiring RHP Woo-Suk Go from Detroit. He has an assignment clause in his contract and must be added to the Twins' MLB roster. Will join the team on Tuesday.
Had 32 Ks in 27 2/3 IP at Triple-A Toledo.
- DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 5, 2026
For Go, this is the latest turn in a journey that started with the San Diego Padres and quickly veered off course. He signed with San Diego during the 2023-24 offseason, when the club was trying to replace Josh Hader and added Yuki Matsui and Woo-Suk Go as international signings. The idea was that both pitchers could help in the ninth inning after strong careers in Japan and Korea.
That plan never really took hold. Robert Suarez emerged as the closer, Matsui eventually broke through with a career-best season in 2026, and Go never got his shot in the big leagues with the Padres.
Instead, his time in San Diego ended almost immediately. About a month into his professional career, he was traded to the Miami Marlins along with top-20 prospects Dillon Head, Jakob Marsee, and Nathan Martorella in the deal that brought Luis Arraez to the Padres.
Go’s time with Miami didn’t go much better. He bounced through every level of the organization’s farm system and never found sustained success. Roughly 13 months after that trade, the Marlins designated him for assignment, and he later landed with Detroit.
That stop has been the one that finally got him moving in the right direction. Go finished the 2025 season with a 4.29 ERA in 21 innings at Triple-A Toledo, then took another step forward in 2026. Across the two highest levels of the minors, he posted a 1.96 ERA, a 2.28 FIP, and a 34.0% strikeout rate.
The Tigers’ decision to move him is a little surprising, but the clause in his contract made the outcome possible. For Minnesota, the timing fits a clear need: the Twins are looking for more reliable relief help, and Go now has a real chance to carve out a major league role.
He is still only 27, and after everything that’s happened since the Padres moved on from him so quickly, he finally gets the opportunity he’s been chasing.
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