Even before the professional baseball playoffs begin, the transfer market is heating up. At the center are the Lotte Giants and Samsung Lions. As the two teams that failed to compete in the fall baseball league begin to reorganize their personnel, attention is also focused on the Stove League movement.
Samsung is the one that needs external blood transfusion more urgently. The mound is more of a problem than the fielder. The team’s attack index, excluding home runs, was in the middle of the league, but its ERA was last. Bullpen hunting was particularly severe.짱구카지노
New general manager Lee Jong-yeol focused on internal training rather than external recruitment. In his inauguration speech on the 16th, he emphasized, “I want to make it a strong team with sustainable results, not a team that flashes for one year.”
However, this year’s bullpen stock is plentiful to ignore. Led by Kim Jae-yoon, who has surpassed 30 saves for three consecutive years, Sovereign (KT) and Hong Geon-hee (Doosan) are eligible to become free agents (FA). If you can shake off the question mark over his physical condition, Ham Deok-ju (LG), who recorded 16 holds with an ERA in the 1-point range this year, is also an attractive resource. Long-term contracts signed in the past are increasing the total annual salary, but the fact that the past two seasons have been spent without recruiting large-scale free agents also supports fans’ desire for active investment.
Another variable is franchise star Oh Seung-hwan. He, who turns 42 next year, recorded 4 wins, 5 losses, 30 saves, and an ERA of 3.45 this season and qualified as a free agent. Although he rebounded in the second half, the ups and downs in the first half were difficult to overlook, considering his second-highest annual salary (1.4 billion won) in the team. The need for a successor to share the burden has become even greater.
At Lotte, cracking down on domestic rabbits takes precedence over external recruitment. The targets are two seniors, Ahn Chi-hong and Jeon Jun-woo. Ahn Chi-hong served as captain of the team this season, posting a batting average of close to .300 and 63 RBIs. Jeon Jun-woo hit over .300 with the most home runs and RBIs in the team.
The large-scale investment that the parent company made last winter by opening its wallet has not yet yielded results. Yoo Kang-nam, who spent 8 billion won, suffered from poor hitting at the beginning of the season, and Noh Jin-hyuk and Han Hyun-hee also fell below expectations. Including Park Se-woong’s non-FA multi-year contract, 26 billion won was spent at once, but the fall baseball season failed.
However, there is a good chance that they will move actively in the transfer market as they have taken a bold move by replacing the general manager and coach just before the closing camp. New coach Kim Tae-hyung also spoke directly. When asked about FA at the inauguration ceremony held at the Lotte Hotel in Busan the day before, he answered, “Of course, the more players the coach has, the better.” It was interpreted that he was referring to the need to at least maintain power and further reinforce it.