LG's rear door locked 'unexpected variable'
LG's rear door locked 'unexpected variable'
After completing the Stove League, professional baseball begins preparations for the 2024 season. While the Samsung Lions and Hanwha Eagles actively sought to reinforce, the defending champion LG Twins lost power due to unexpected variables.
The 10 KBO League clubs will begin spring camp sequentially starting on the 29th. Eight teams will depart for three countries, the United States, Australia, and Japan, on the 29th and 30th. On the 31st, the Lotte Giants move to Guam and set up camp. KT Wiz is the only team that conducts primary training in Korea.
The power reorganization is virtually complete. Ju-won, who was the last unsigned free agent (FA) this winter, signed with his original team KT on the 26th for 2+2 years for up to 1.6 billion won.
Of the 19 FAs, only 5 moved to the new home, while the rest chose to stay. A total of 60.55 billion won was exchanged. The size has decreased by nearly 25% compared to the last Stove League, which had frequent large-scale transfers. Considering the second draft and non-FA contracts, it was Samsung that showed the most aggressive actions. 9.5 billion won was poured into FA alone. Not only did they retain the three 'house rabbits' of Oh Seung-hwan, Kim Dae-woo, and Kang Han-ul, but they also recruited two bullpen pitchers, Kim Jae-yoon and Lim Chang-min. Including the 2nd draft and released students, there were only 6 newly recruited resources.
Hanwha also opened its wallet. With the second contract in the free agent market, Ahn Chi-hong was signed for up to 7.2 billion won for 4+2 years. Jang Min-jae, who can add strength to the mound in all weather, was also pressed down. What attracted more attention than free agency was the second draft in which Kim Kang-min was selected. A large number of veterans were transfused by bringing in catcher Lee Jae-won, who was voluntarily released from SSG Landers.
On the other hand, LG encountered an unexpected reef. They were prepared to go over the salary cap and captured three out of four free agent draftees, but suffered injuries. Hamdeok-ju, who stayed on for up to 3.8 billion won for 4 years, left the lineup due to a left elbow injury after signing his contract. The rehabilitation of Ham Deok-ju, who underwent surgery on the 16th, is expected to take about six months.
Coincidentally, LG sent Jin Hae-soo to Lotte in exchange for a 5th round draft pick in November last year. In addition, it became difficult for Ham Deok-ju to pitch early in the season, creating a hole in the left-handed bullpen.
The absence of Ko Woo-seok and Lee Jeong-yong, who left the team to challenge for the big league and enlist in the military, respectively, could also act as a variable. LG is expected to focus on improving the skills of young pitchers through field training in Arizona, USA. Six pitchers, including Son Joo-young, Jung Woo-young, and Lee Ji-gang, left the country first on the 20th and began autonomous training locally.
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