Last year, the two Korean players faced quite different situations. Kim Kang-min, 42, became MVP of the Korean Series, boasting his extraordinary presence. Choo Shin-soo, his friend, expressed his sincere gratitude to Kim Kang-min for giving him his first professional win.
Lee Jae-won (35) left a regretful comment. He spent his career high season wearing the captain’s armband in 2018 and led his team to win the Korean Series by hitting a home run in the Korean Series, but was sluggish with a batting average of 0.201 last year and dreamed of making a leap forward again in the spring camp.
Kim Kang-min joined the pro league in 2001 and Lee Jae-won in 2006. Since then, Kim has never worn uniforms of other teams until this year. Despite the different circumstances, neither of them imagined leaving the team until a year ago. 실시간 바카라사이트
However, things changed drastically after the end of this season. Kim Kang-min left the team first. He was drafted by the Hanwha Eagles in the second draft on April 22. After acquiring additional picks as a member of the bottom three teams, the Hanwha Eagles chose Kim Kang-min as the fourth choice and hired a veteran outfielder for just 100 million won.
Fans were full of resentment. He did not assign Team Legend to 35 protected players in order to save a promising player. Kim dreamed of retiring as a one-club man enough to talk with SSG about specific plans for his future retirement, but those plans went up in smoke overnight.
Kim Kang-min pondered whether to announce his retirement as it is or to continue his career. Sohn Hyuk, Hanwha’s general manager, expressed his desperate need. He did not just want to pass on his experiences to the team as a veteran. He appointed Kim as the new promising golfer because he believed he would be able to play for one to two years as an active pro. Kim ended up wearing Hanwha’s uniform.
Two days after the second draft, another one-club man left the team. Lee Jae-won played in only 27 games in the main league this year, and had his worst season with a batting average of 0.091. He knew better than anyone else that he had no place. He asked SSG to release him for a new start, and the club accepted his request. Hanwha reached out to Lee Jae-won, who had not been able to find a new team for more than a month. The Hanwha Eagles signed a contract with Lee Jae-won on Friday for an annual salary of 50 million won.
“We recruited Choi Jae-hoon and Park Sang-eon because we judged that there was a lack of experienced catchers and there was a sufficient need to prepare for injuries and strengthen the depth,” Son Hyuk, general manager, said through the club. “We expect Lee Jae-won to add weight to the catcher team until promising player Heo In-seo returns from Sangmu in the second half of next season.”
The two veterans plan to spend a fiercer winter than ever since their debut to show off their strong performance. It is not easy to adapt to a new team in the twilight of their careers, but the fact that they are accompanied by a teammate who has been with them for more than 10 years will give great strength to each other.