Ryan Weiss, Houston Expected to Decline Option...500,000 Dollar Buyout, Hanhwa Return Unconfirmed
Local outlook emerged that Houston will decline Weiss's 5 million dollar team option. It addressed the 500,000 dollar buyout and Hanhwa return speculation.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-Line Summary
- MLB Trade Rumors forecasted on October 1st that Houston will decline Weiss's 2027 team option, but this is not an official team announcement.
- Weiss's guaranteed total of 2.6 million dollars is the combined amount of a signing bonus of 100,000, 2026 salary of 2 million, and a buyout of 500,000 dollars.
- Weiss, who recorded an ERA of 2.87 with Hanhwa in 2025, fell to 7.62 in 26 innings in MLB in 2026.
On March 27, 2026, Ryan Weiss took the major league mound. He is a pitcher who restarted as a 6-week replacement foreign player for Hanhwa after going through the independent league and Taiwan league. Now discussion about his next season contract is emerging locally in the U.S. As of now, only local outlook has emerged without an official parting announcement.
Weiss Option Decision, Between the October 1st Outlook and Official Announcement
The October 1st MLB Trade Rumors Article on Team Option Reviewpredicted that Houston will not exercise Weiss's 2027 option. This outlet assessed that "withdrawing from this option will be an easy decision." This is not an official notification from the team about their decision.
Wisevoter attached a title 'Option Decline Confirmed' on October 7th, but since it could not be cross-verified with official announcements, it was not adopted. This site also recorded Weiss's MLB record as 3 wins 0 losses, while the MLB official record is 0 wins 3 losses.
Weiss MLB Record, 26 Innings ERA 7.62, 8 Home Runs Allowed
| Category | 2025 Hanhwa (KBO) | 2026 Houston (MLB) |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 30 | 9 (2 starts) |
| Innings | 178⅔ | 26 |
| Record | 16-5 | 0-3 |
| ERA | 2.87 | 7.62 |
| Strikeouts | 207 | 30 |
| Strikeouts Per 9 Innings (calculated) | 10.4 | 10.4 |
MLB Official RecordLooking at, Weiss's 2026 ERA is 7.62. Dividing 30 strikeouts by 26 innings and converting to a 9-inning basis gives 10.4. Even calculating by 2025 Hanhwa record, 10.4. This means the strikeout ratio remained nearly the same even when changing leagues.
During 26 innings he allowed 8 home runs, which converts to 2.8 per 9 innings. Weiss went down to Triple-A on May 5th, and after receiving a DFA (designated for assignment) in June, he passed through waivers and remained with Sugar Land. Even in Triple-A, he recorded an ERA of 5.42 over 22 games.
The Weiss 500,000 Dollar Buyout: Approximately 700 Million Won is Not Additional Money on Top of 2.6 Million Dollars
| Item | Amount (dollars) | Nature |
|---|---|---|
| Signing Bonus | 100,000 | Guaranteed |
| 2026 Base Salary | 2,000,000 | Guaranteed |
| 2027 Option Non-Exercise Buyout | 500,000 | Guaranteed |
| Guaranteed Total | 2,600,000 | Sum of the Three Items Above |
| 2027 Team Option | 5,000,000 | Non-Guaranteed, Team Choice |
AP's Detailed Contract TableLooking at, the guaranteed total 2.6 million dollarsis the combined amount of signing bonus, salary, and buyout. If you add the buyout again, you will be counting the same 500,000 dollars twice. Approximately 700 million won is an expression of this 500,000 dollars converted to Korean won. It is not an amount verified at the current exchange rate.
The buyout is a contractual amount the team pays in return for not exercising the option. It is different in nature from Korean workplace severance pay. If the option is exercised, 5 million dollars enters; if declined, 500,000 dollars. The difference between the two is 4.5 million dollars.
Weiss Hanhwa Return Speculation, 207 Strikeouts 4th Place Record and Retention Rights Prerequisite
| Rank | Player | 2025 Strikeouts | Team at That Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fonseca | 252 | Hanhwa |
| 2 | Anderson | 245 | SSG |
| 3 | Riley | 216 | NC |
| 4 | Weiss | 207 | Hanhwa |
| 5 | Oller | 169 | KIA |
KBO Official RecordAccording to the KBO official record, Weiss's KBO career record from 2024-2025 is 46 games, 21-10, with an ERA of 3.16. In 2025, he reached 4th in the league with 16-5 and 207 strikeouts. A player who started with a 6-week, 100,000 dollar replacement contract in 2024 reached this position in his second season.
OSEN Reporter Jo Hyung-rae's October 2nd Reporttouched on the possibility of KBO return on the premise that Hanhwa has retention rights. It is not an article that confirmed a return agreement or that negotiations have started.
Two things are still not decided. Whether the 5 million dollar option will be exercised has not been cross-verified with an official announcement. Whether Hanhwa has actually entered into return negotiations has not been confirmed by reports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is the Weiss buyout of approximately 700 million won money received separately from and in addition to his salary?
It is money paid separately from the 2026 base salary of 2 million dollars when the option is not exercised. However, according to AP's detailed contract, the guaranteed total of 2.6 million dollars already includes the 500,000 dollar buyout. The approximately 700 million won is a reporting expression of this 500,000 dollars converted to Korean won, and adding it again to 2.6 million dollars would be double counting.
Q. Has Weiss's parting with Houston been confirmed?
As of October 7th, it has not been confirmed. MLB Trade Rumors only forecasted an option decline on October 1st, and this is the media outlet's assessment, not an official team notification.
Q. Has Weiss's Hanhwa return been decided?
It has not been decided. OSEN raised the possibility of a return on the premise that Hanhwa has retention rights, but there is no official report confirming a return agreement or the start of negotiations.
Related Official Sites
- MLB Weiss Official Player Record — Check 2026 MLB game-by-game record and season performance
- KBO Weiss Official Career Record — Check Hanhwa era 2024-2025 regular season record
- Houston Astros Official Homepage — Check official announcements such as team option decisions
Representative image, archival photo, not an on-field photo of the current game in the article, photo composite, Photo=Flickr(Stabbur's Master), CC BY-SA 2.0, Photo=Wikimedia Commons(Daderot), CC0
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