“I only heard the player’s condition.”
KIA started discussing an extension contract with transfer catcher Kim Tae-gun (34). A KIA official said on the 20th, “Of course, it is a good situation if both the club and the players produce good results. We only listened to the players’ terms and conditions. The club condition has not been presented.”
KIA recruited Kim Tae-gun through a trade on the 5th. It was the moment when the catcher trade negotiations with Samsung, which had been dragged on for about a year since last fall, were finally concluded. The Han Seung-taek-Joo Hyo-sang-Shin Beom-soo system had limitations in air defense. There was a sense of crisis that it would not be possible to guarantee the top 5 unless the catcher’s production was reinforced from the outside during the season.카지노사이트
It was difficult to recruit Kim Tae-gun while giving away Ryu Ji-hyeok, whom he had a crush on. However, Kim Tae-goon is a preliminary free agent like Park Dong-won (LG) last year. Park Dong-won in KIA is three letters full of regret. When he was brought from Kiwoom at the end of April, Kim Tae-jin, the 2023 rookie draft 2nd round nomination right (Kim Dong-heon), and 1 billion won in cash were sent, but they broke up after spending only one year.
KIA tried to negotiate a non-FA multi-year contract with Park Dong-won at the end of the season, but failed. In the end, Park Dong-won signed a contract with LG, and in the meantime, the former manager’s disgraceful incident was revealed and he suffered measles. Of course, KIA has a learning effect on the Park Dong-won incident.
It seems that KIA basically made a plan to pursue a non-FA multi-year contract, if possible, while recruiting Kim Tae-gun. The 2023-2024 catcher FA market is unlikely to be hotter than the 2022-2023 market. However, since the position itself is the price of gold, once Kim Tae-goon goes to the market, there is a high possibility that he will gain popularity from other clubs. KIA’s promotion of a non-FA multi-year contract is a firm will to retain Kim Tae-gun for a long time, and it should be seen as a strategic move that completely eliminates the probability of failure.
In an interview with reporters on the 6th, Kim Tae-gun openly expressed his anticipation of a warm rain season. If KIA is forward-looking, there is no reason not to sign it before entering the free agent market. For years, he has lived as Yang Eui-ji and Kang Min-ho’s backup. He can play as the main catcher for the next 4-5 years at KIA. Going to KIA is also a blessing for Kim Tae-gun.
Kim Tae-gun is from Busan, but he has such a good personality that he has already become close friends with the KIA players. He is changing KIA on and off the field as a ‘nuclear fight catcher’. The defense, blocking, and pitching lead are definitely different from the existing KIA catchers. He has not played a few games yet, but the effect of Kim Tae-gun is enormous. Both KIA and Kim Tae-gun have confirmed their need for each other.
On this day, general manager Shim Jae-hak boarded a plane to the United States along with other team leaders. For now, it seems that negotiations will continue at the working-level. Can KIA and Kim Tae-goon be together for a long time? Will there be a main character for the first non-FA multi-year contract in the club’s history? The atmosphere is definitely different from a year ago.