Month: November 2024

For the third year in a row, the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) have signed an outside free agent, this time speedy shortstop Shim Woo-jun (29).

Hanwha officially announced the signing of free agent infielder Shim Woo-jun on July 7. It’s a four-year deal worth up to 5 billion won. It includes 4.2 billion won in guaranteed money and an option for 800 million won.

This is the third consecutive year Hanwha has bolstered its roster with an outside free agent signing. After filling up its roster after the 2022 season with first baseman Chae Eun-sung, pitcher Lee Tae-yang, and infielder Oh Sun-jin, Hanwha also added infielder Ahn Chi-hong last year. This year, the team made a big splash by signing Shim Woo-joon for the third consecutive year.

Shim, a right-handed hitting infielder from Gyeonggi High School, joined KT in the 2014 second round with the 14th overall pick. He made his first-team debut in 2015 and has played more than 100 games in every season except 2023 and 2024, when he served in the military.

In nine seasons,

He has a career record of 1072 games (2862 hits, 726 runs), 31 home runs, 275 RBI, 403 runs scored, 190 walks, 526 strikeouts, 156 stolen bases, a .303 on-base percentage, .336 slugging percentage, .639 OPS, and a 78.8% stolen base rate.

In a statement, Hanwha said, “With the addition of Woo-Joon Shim, we are able to strengthen our infield depth by securing a stable shortstop with the quick feet and operational skills we are looking for in the field.

“Woo-joon has the ability to play more than 100 games a season, and with his steady and reliable defense, he has the ability to become the mainstay of our center field next season,” 파워볼사이트 said Hanwha manager Son Hyuk. ”With the introduction of the pitch clock next year, he will be able to put pressure on the opposing pitcher when he is on base, which will help the team in various ways.”

Shim is also determined to use his strengths in defense and base running to help the team achieve its goal of becoming a prestigious club.

“I am sincerely grateful to the Hanwha Eagles for their good evaluation,” said Shim. ”As a free agent player, I will take on greater responsibilities as I join the Hanwha Eagles squad, and I will do my best on the field to help the team win more games.”

Hanwha has been led by Lee Do-yoon at shortstop this year.

Ha Joo-seok started the opening game but left with a hamstring injury, opening the door for rookie Hwang Young-mook. Since June, when Hwang moved to second base, Lee hasn’t done too badly at shortstop, and even after Ha returned from injury, he remained in the starting lineup.

But the team needed a better player in the field, and they quickly connected with Shim Woo-joon, who was on the free agent market. After releasing Ha Joo-suk as an internal free agent, the team focused on signing an external free agent. Above all, the fact that he had quick feet, which Hanwha lacked, was a decisive factor in his signing. Despite the arrival of Kim Kyung-moon, a manager who emphasizes fast baseball, Hanwha ranked ninth in team stolen bases (69) and 10th in success rate (62.7%) last season.

Shim, meanwhile, is a Class B free agent, meaning Hanwha must compensate KT for one compensatory player outside of the 25-man roster and either 100% of the previous year’s salary or 200% of the previous year’s salary. Shim’s salary this year is 290 million won, so KT can receive 290 million won in compensation with a compensatory player or 580 million won without a compensatory player.

For the second year in a row, the shock of the first upset is over. As they gather in Icheon for their final camp, Lee Seung-yup’s goal is to rebound and rebound and rebound.

Doosan, led by Lee Seung-yeop, failed to advance to the semifinals of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO Postseason with a 0-1 loss in the second game of the wild-card deciding series against KT Wiz at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on March 3, dropping the series 2-0.

Doosan entered the wild-card decider with a one-game advantage after finishing fourth in the regular season, one spot higher than last year, but dropped both games to KT, which finished fifth in the best-of-five series, and saw its fall baseball season come to an end in two games. There have been two first-round losses for the fourth-place team in the wild-card decider since 2015, but this was the first time a fourth-place team dropped two games to a fifth-place team. Lee Seung-yeop-ho became the first dishonorable mention.

The silence in the batting order proved fatal, as “Catcher 15.2 Billion” Yang Ji broke his collarbone, forcing Jared Young, Kim Jae-hwan, and Yang Seok-hwan to bat in the center of the order, but they were shut out for the second straight day against KT’s foreign duo of William Cuevas and Wes Benjamin. The lackluster swings and empty hits led to a shocking 18 innings without a run.

Ace Kwak Bin Kwak, who started Game 1, was pulled early after giving up four runs in the first inning.

Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop met with reporters at Icheon Bears Park, where the team is in the midst of its final camp, and said, “There are no excuses. There is no excuse. We are the team that went up to fourth place and ended the season in fifth place after losing the wild card deciding game,” and said, ”A month after the season ended was like a year. Now that we’re cleaned up, we’ve been in Icheon since Nov. 1, and seeing the young players gives me a lot of hope. I’ve been in charge of Dusan for two years, and I always think we can be stronger.”

The theme of the third finalization camp since his appointment is rebuilding, restructuring, and enhancing depth. “In the final camp, I told the young players to beat the veterans. “There are a lot of young players who are better than I thought,” he said, ”and they shouldn’t let the veterans relax. I don’t think the veterans should be relaxed. Doosan can only be stronger if the young players perform in the first team. I hope they can overtake the seniors, 토토사이트 and they should put in enough effort to not lose their place to the seniors who are training on their own.”

Lee also talked about which players stand out in particular.

“Among the beasts, three players stand out: Jeon Damin, Yeo Dong-gun, and Oh Myung-jin. Park Jun-young has also improved a lot. I haven’t seen much of them in the first team, but they are very fast in this camp. We don’t play fast baseball because we have a lot of veterans on the team, but seeing how fast they are, I think they can be an energizing force for the team.”

“In the past, Heo Kyung-min, Jeong Soo-bin, Park Gun-woo, Min Byung-heon, and others have played worthy of the Doosan Hustle Doo. The younger hitters can make a difference in Doosan baseball,” he added.

On the pitching staff, Park Ji-ho, Yoon Tae-ho, and Kim Moo-bin were mentioned as future prospects.

Another reason to be optimistic about next season is the return of all eight players who effectively missed the entire 2023 season due to Oh Jae-won’s prescription for sleeping pills. Kim In-tae, Kim Min-hyuk, Jang Seung-hyun, Park Kye-beom, Je Hwan-yu, Park Ji-hoon, and Lee Seung-jin are in full training camp, while Ahn Seung-han has come out of retirement and is taking front classes.

“Those eight players were the strength we really needed, and we lost a lot of strength when they missed almost 100 games,” Lee said. ”Now they’re back, and all they have to do is complete 80 hours of community service and everything will be fine. Hopefully, they’ll have a good effect on the team next season. Now that it’s over, I hope they can put their worries behind them and play the baseball they didn’t get to play this year,” he said, welcoming the eight back to the team.

He also talked about meeting with them before training.

“I’ve never been in their shoes, but it must have been hard not being able to talk to anyone. It was hard for us watching, but it must have been even harder for them. Some of them have families, some have wives and children,” he said, adding, ”I told them that they need to do better and that they have been struggling.”

But there’s no special treatment in the camp competition just because they had a bad year. “The opportunities are equal,” Lee said. They don’t get an extra chance because they had a bad year,” he said, adding, ”It might take them longer because they haven’t played 100 games. It will take more effort from the players themselves to reduce the anxiety of not playing 100 games.”

Finally, Lee addressed the Doosan fans who were disappointed to miss out on the wild-card round for the second consecutive year, saying, “We will work hard to become a stronger team, and we are still working hard. We will work very hard for the next four months until next February.” ”Next year, we will work hard from now on to show the hustle and grit of the past Doosan dynasty, never giving up on a game and biting until the end. We will show you the complete Doosan.”

It is a fully guaranteed contract with no options. SSG Landers honored its franchise star Choi Jung (37) and showed its trust in him.

On the sixth day of the free agency market, SSG announced that it had signed Choi Jung for a four-year contract totaling 11 billion won. This includes a down payment of 3 billion won and an annual salary of 8 billion won.

SSG’s signing of Choi didn’t come as a surprise.

SSG was determined to keep Choi, who has been called the “heart of the Landers” and has become an iconic part of the team, and prioritized keeping Choi, who has been with SSG for 20 years.

Although a non-free agent multi-year contract was not reached and Choi applied for approval to exercise his free agent rights, SSG made an unusual ‘contract notice’ to prevent any misunderstanding.

“We met with Choi and spoke positively with him on the 4th. The player’s side wants to proceed with a free agent contract, so we will announce it after the contract is signed on the 6th, when the free agent market opens.”

As scheduled,

The official announcement was made on the afternoon of the 6th after Choi and the SSG organization met and signed the contract.

What caught our eye was the contract language. It was a “fully guaranteed deal” with no options.

Options are a safety valve for teams that spend big on free agents. Usually, when signing a free agent contract, 메이저사이트 clubs try to include options and players try to increase the guaranteed amount.

But Choi’s free agent contract with SSG didn’t have an option.

When SSG first presented Choi with the terms of his contract, it wasn’t without options, but shortly after negotiations began, they decided to remove them altogether.

“We were thinking about how to build Choi’s ego, and we didn’t want to drag out the contract,” says SSG head coach Kim Jae-hyun. There was also a dimension of honoring him as an iconic player.”

Guaranteeing the full 11 billion won ($11.1 million) also shows the club’s trust in Choi.

The key to Choi becoming the KBO’s all-time home run leader is consistency.

He is the only player in KBO history to hit double-digit home runs in 19 consecutive seasons. From 2016 to this year, he has also hit 20 home runs in nine consecutive seasons.

He is synonymous with integrity. Those who have followed him for a long time say that he is a “baseball idiot.” He also takes care of his body.

Even in his late 30s, Choi has remained healthy this year, batting .291 with 37 home runs and 107 RBIs and an OPS of .978. He ranked third in home runs, ninth in RBI, and fifth in OPS.

“Signing a free agent contract is not about looking back, it’s about looking forward,” Kim said. ”I’ve seen him in the best shape of his life, and I’ve seen him take care of his body. Even though I am in my late 30s, I am confident that I can deliver the performance expected of me for the next four years,” said Kim.

“A fully guaranteed contract is not only an ego boost, it’s also a sign of 100% trust.”

On the day he made baseball free agency history, Choi Jung-jeong (37-SSG Landers) started by apologizing to his fans. “I apologize for the delay in signing the contract,” he said, despite signing on the first day of free agency. Choi is the first player in KBO history to surpass the 30 billion won ($30.2 million) mark in cumulative free agency.

Choi signed a four-year, 11 billion won ($11 million) free agent contract with SSG on June 6 to stay. He signed a contract with a signing bonus of 3 billion won and a total annual salary of 8 billion won, with 11 billion won fully guaranteed and no options. At 37 years old and entering the twilight of his career, it was a great deal.

Choi re-signed with SK in his first free agency in November 2014 for a then-record amount of 4.6 billion won ($8.6 million), and in December 2018, he stayed for 6.6 billion won ($10.6 million) in his second free agency, joining the “10 billion free agent” club. He then received the highest amount of 11 billion won for his third free agency, bringing his cumulative FA contract total to 30.2 billion won. He surpassed Doosan’s Yang Yang-ji (27.7 billion won) to take the top spot.

The signing process has been nothing short of spectacular.

This season, Choi was outstanding, batting .291 (136-for-468) with 37 home runs, 107 RBIs, a .384 on-base percentage, .594 slugging percentage, and a .978 OPS in 129 games, ranking third in home runs, fourth in slugging percentage, and fifth in OPS. Choi, who has a KBO career-high 495 home runs, hasn’t seen his production slow down as he enters his mid-30s.

Rumors of teams targeting Choi began to surface late in the season. While the authenticity of the rumors is unclear, Choi is a C-grade free agent, so it’s not something SSG would have taken lightly. A team that signs a C-grade free agent only has to compensate the original team 150% of the previous year’s salary. This year, Choi Jung’s salary was 1 billion won, so the team that wanted to take him only had to pay SSG 1.5 billion won to sign him without bleeding compensation.

Although there is a risk at 37 years old, Choi’s consistency was so great, and he was a free agent who could bring a definite power increase, so there was enough market demand. 카지노사이트 SSG fans were also uneasy. SSG fans were heartbroken last winter when outfielder Kim Kang-min, the ’23 One Club Man,’ left for the second round of the draft, and they couldn’t help but worry about what might happen. The team’s symbolism and potential to shake up the entire league made them even more worried.

SSG was no stranger to this kind of fan sentiment.

They went all out to retain the best players, preferably locking them into multi-year contracts before the free agency market opened. Early on, the two sides agreed on a contract worth more than 10 billion won, but Choi wanted it to be a free agent contract that would allow him to receive a signing bonus, which required him to go through the free agent application and disclosure process.

SSG then made an unusual ‘contract announcement’ on the deadline for free agency on the 4th. ‘We met with Choi Jung’s side and talked positively, and we will make a final announcement after signing on the 6th, when the free agency market opens,’ it said. If the news of Choi’s free agency application had been announced without such a notice, SSG fans might have become agitated. Considering this, SSG calmed the fans’ anxiety with the first-ever contract announcement.

After Choi Jung signed, SSG apologized to the fans first. “We would like to apologize to the fans who must have waited for a long time due to the long negotiation period,” the team said. It’s been a long time for fans who have been waiting for the latest news since before free agency opened. Choi, who checked the reactions of SSG fans through various channels during the negotiation period, expressed his gratitude and apologies for not finalizing the contract sooner.

With this contract,

Choi will spend his entire career with the Incheon team, which includes SK and SSG, until 2028, when he will be 41 years old. It is unknown if his career will continue beyond 2028, but Choi, who has booked a minimum of 24 years as a one-club man, said, “It’s the team I’ve been growing up with since I was a rookie, and it’s the team I’m most attached to. I’m glad the contract went well. I feel good. I will play hard for the team for the rest of my contract,” he said.

Choi concluded his message to the fans, saying, “I think the headaches in the off-season are over. Once again, I would like to apologize to the fans who must have waited a lot during the long negotiation period. I will work hard for the team and repay them with better results. We will do our best to win one more title in Munhwa before we go to Cheongna Dome,” he promised the Incheon fans. SSG will call Munhwa home for three more years before moving to Cheongna Dome, which is scheduled to open in 2028.