Anxious Kim Won-joong and Jang Hyun-sik to emerge as bullpen stalwarts.
The Kia Tigers’ consolidated title ended the fierce competition of the 2014 season. Now, it’s the beginning of the ‘War of the Chuns’. The free agency market is open.
The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) will announce the list of free agents on Friday. Of course, except for Choi Jeong-jeong, who has ‘booked a contract’ with SSG Landers, it’s unlikely that there will be any special contracts totaling 10 billion won, but there are still ‘big names’ every season. The question is how much they get paid and where they go.
As mentioned above, there aren’t any league-changing “big fish” in the free agency market. However, if you invest wisely, there are some solid resources that can upgrade your team’s lineup.
In fact, Kim Won-joong has been one of the most talked about prospective free agents heading into this season. The Lotte Giants finish last. He recorded 35 and 30 saves in the 2021 and 2023 seasons, respectively. He was the biggest of the bullpen options. The key point seemed to be whether they could outbid the four-year, 5.8 billion won contract of Kim Jae-yoon, who signed a free agent contract with the Samsung Lions last year.
However, his market value has cooled over the course of the season.
Although he made 35 saves this year, his ERA was high at 3.55 and he had six blown saves. Regardless of the numbers, he continued to pitch erratically. 카지노사이트 He was unable to overpower opposing hitters with his pitches, leaving runners on base and faltering in every game. There were so many pitches that Kim Tae-hyung said, “You have to win the game even if you get hit,” and there were so many pitches that escaped.
Grade A here. The team that takes Kim Won-joong could be in for a big payback. There’s a cautious sentiment that no team would be willing to pay big money and risk compensation hemorrhaging, unless he’s a 30- to 40-save reliever. He’ll be 33 next year, so it’s unlikely that he’ll suddenly increase his saves, and his long pitching routine could be unfavorably evaluated in the pitch clock era.
One player who stands out is Jang Hyun-sik, the pitcher who led KIA to the championship. Originally, Koo was a good pitcher, but he made a very strong impression with his ‘stone fastball’ in the Korean Series. With the pitches and delivery he showed in the Korean Series, he is considered to be able to protect the back door of a team that doesn’t have an immediate closer. While he did record 34 saves in the 2021 season, he was not a save pitcher and his overall record is not top-notch, so he should command a reasonable (?) price tag. This is a chance to take a slightly bolder gamble and get a resource that can be utilized as an eighth-inning closer or even a closer. He’s two years younger than Kim Won-joong and has a B- grade, which could help ease the pressure on his compensation.