HOUSTON, TX – December 3, 2025 – The Houston Astros added depth to their starting rotation Tuesday by signing right-hander Ryan Weiss to a major league contract, a source told MLB.com. The deal, pending a physical, guarantees Weiss $2.6 million for 2026 with a club option for 2027 that could allow him to potentially earn more than $10 million over two years.
Weiss, 28, spent the past two seasons revitalizing his career with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization, posting a combined 21-10 record with a 3.16 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 46 starts. He struck out 305 batters in 270⅓ innings over the two-year span.
In 2025, Weiss was particularly dominant, going 16-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 30 starts while striking out 207 batters in 178⅔ innings—a 28.6% strikeout rate paired with just a 7.7% walk rate and 48.5% ground ball rate. His performance earned him the nickname “Daejeon Jesus” from Eagles fans due to his long hair and pitching excellence in that South Korean city.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander was originally a fourth-round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018 out of Wright State University. After five seasons in the minor league systems of Arizona and Kansas City, where he posted a 4.88 ERA over 313⅓ innings, Weiss found success overseas with one season in the Chinese Professional Baseball League and two in the KBO.
Weiss attracted interest from at least half a dozen MLB teams this offseason, with the Eagles hoping to retain him. However, the opportunity to make his major league debut with the Astros proved too appealing.
“Adding starting pitching is our top offseason priority,” general manager Dana Brown has stated repeatedly this winter. The Weiss signing addresses Houston’s rotation needs following Framber Valdez’s departure to free agency and with multiple pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Weiss will compete for a rotation spot behind ace Hunter Brown alongside returning options Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti, Lance McCullers Jr., and others. He uses a fastball-curveball-changeup combination honed during his successful stint in Korea.
The Astros will need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move to finalize the signing.