There is no catcher trade”.
The KIA Tigers reaffirmed the theory of not trading catchers. KIA has completed the composition of foreign players. Recruited Adonid Medina to build a 150km right-hander punch with Shawn Anders. He was the first to end his contract with Socrates Brito, a hitter who had an honorable mention. With this, the Stove League power organization was completed.
This year’s KIA Stove League was different from last year. Signed a large contract worth 25.3 billion won with Na Seong-beom, the largest FA player, and Yang Hyeon-jong, the returning ace. This year, he did not actively enter the FA market. When catcher Yang Eui-ji was confirmed to return to Doosan, he withdrew.
He pursued a trade instead. When Park Dong-won, who played catcher, moved to LG, there was a gap in the home power. In preparation for the leak, Joo Hyo-sang was reinforced by trade from Kiwoom. At the same time, trade negotiations were held with Samsung, but the conditions were not right.
There was a situation where you had to give up a starting pitcher or a main pitcher in the bullpen to get one catcher. Negotiations were also sluggish, and when no conclusion was reached, KIA boldly withdrew the trade. Coach Kim Jong-guk also said, “I will trust our catchers and give them a chance. I discussed with the general manager and decided not to trade.”
There is also consideration to revive the spirit of the existing catchers. In fact, it became a burden for the existing catchers as it took the form of an open trade. It’s not motivating. It was a problem that I experienced when rumors of Kiwoom’s Park Dong-won trade began to surface from last January.
The club also said, “The coach was concerned that the catcher trade rumors were not motivating our existing catchers. We will prepare for the season, such as spring camp and demonstration games, with the current catcher power,” he confirmed that he could not trade again. 스포츠토토
As the club stopped trading catchers, existing catchers such as Han Seung-taek and Joo Hyo-sang were able to prepare for the season with more motivation. Shin Beom-soo, Kim Seon-woo, Shin Myeong-seung, and the first nominee Han Jun-su will join the army soon after completing their military service. Fierce competition is expected at zero base. The selection criteria for the 1st team is defensive power, but batting is also important.
It seems that the determination to prepare for the Arizona spring camp in February next year is also different. Nevertheless, it is clear that the current catcher power is at the bottom of the 10 clubs. That is why the leadership of head coach Jin Gap-yong and battery coach Kim Sang-hoon, who served as national catcher, became important.
Inducing fierce competition and leading to an increase in skills will make the living in the living room strong. Who will wear a mask before the 2023 Opening Day? Who will be the messiah in the living room? This is KIA’s biggest observation point.