The professional baseball team Hanwha Eagles has signed a foreign pitcher and a foreign batter. On the 29th, Hanwha announced the acquisition of foreign pitcher Wilkel Hernandez and foreign batter Yonathan Peraza. Hernandez's contract is worth a total of $900,000, consisting of a $100,000 signing bonus, a $650,000 salary, and a $150,000 option. Peraza's contract is set at a total of $1,000,000, including a $200,000 signing bonus, a $700,000 salary, and a $100,000 option.

Hernandez is a right-handed pitcher born in 1999 from Venezuela. He is evaluated as a three-quarter type pitcher who throws a fastball with sinker movement, reaching a top speed of 156 km/h and averaging over 150 km/h. Hanwha explained that Hernandez "has decent pitching sense with well-developed sliders and changeups, has served as a starting pitcher throughout his career, and has pitched over 100 innings in each of the past two years." Hernandez appeared in 34 games (19 starts) for the Triple-A minor league team under the Detroit Tigers in the 2025 season, recording a 3-7 win-loss record and a 4.80 ERA.

After signing, Hernandez said, "I am very happy to become a member of the Hanwha Eagles, who finished as runners-up last season," and added, "I will do my best to contribute to the team's championship next season." With the acquisition of Hernandez, Hanwha faces an inevitable replacement of this year's one-two punch, Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss, who are attracting interest from Major League Baseball teams.

Peraza is a Venezuelan switch-hitting outfielder who played for Hanwha in the 2024 season. Last year, he played in 122 games, posting a .275 batting average with 24 home runs and 70 RBIs. Peraza is regarded as a corner outfielder capable of producing strong hits from both left and right batting stances. In the 2025 season, he played 138 games for the Triple-A minor league team under the San Diego Padres, batting .307 with 19 home runs and was awarded the San Diego Minor League MVP.

Hanwha successfully signed Peraza after competing with multiple teams, including those from Japan. The club stated, "We observed Peraza's defensive skill development and his ability to produce quality line drive hits." Peraza expressed, "I deeply felt the passion, energy, and unwavering support of the fans while playing with the Hanwha Eagles in the 2024 season, and it is a great honor to wear the uniform again." He added, "I worked hard to come back stronger and better prepared," and vowed, "I will give my all in every game so that the Hanwha Eagles can soar higher."

With Peraza's signing, Hanwha expects to strengthen their batting lineup synergy alongside existing players Chae Eun-sung, Noh Si-hwan, Kang Baek-ho, and Moon Hyun-bin. Additionally, Hanwha has signed pitcher Wang Yencheng as an Asian quota player and plans to carefully proceed with signing one remaining player. Through these foreign player acquisitions, Hanwha has reinforced their team strength and officially begun preparations for the 2025 season.