‘Fire in the foot’ fell on the Hanwha outfielders. With the addition of veteran Lee Myeong-gi (36) with a career batting average of 30%, a real competition incomparable to the past two years unfolded.
On the 14th, Hanwha acquired FA outfielder Lee Myung-ki through a sign and trade. After the free agent market opened in November of last year, Hanwha, which had filled the limit of three outside free agents by bringing Chae Eun-seong, Lee Tae-yang, and Oh Seon-jin, opened up the possibility of additional reinforcement through signing and trade.
The target of recruitment was also an outfielder. Over the past two years, Hanwha has been in a vulnerable position in the outfield. 15 domestic players in 2021 and 13 domestic players in 2022 have been given countless opportunities over the past two years as outfielders, but none have been able to grab the starting position. I realized how high the wall of reality I had hit over the past two years was to turn the ‘circuit of hope’.
In the free agent market, he recruited hard hitter Chae Eun-seong and put out the urgent fire. Chae Eun-seong was first baseman for LG last year, but he is used to playing in the outfield as a right fielder. The foreign hitter changed from Mike Tuchman last year to Brian O’Grady this year, but the position remains the same in the outfield. He filled two positions, but the remaining one was not counted.
Hanwha general manager Sohn Hyuk applied for free agency at NC, but kept an eye on Lee Myung-ki and Kwon Hee-dong, who were in danger of losing their child. Without rushing, I saw the timing to bring him in for an appropriate price, and a signing & trade was made two weeks after the start of spring camp. Infielder Cho Hyun-jin and 2024 newcomer 7th round (61st overall) were given the right to be nominated, but catchers Lee Jae-yong and Lee Myung-ki were brought. 안전놀이터 With an annual salary of 50 million won and an option of 50 million won, he strengthened his outfield depth without spending a lot of money for up to 100 million won a year.
Existing outfielders Noh Soo-gwang, Jang Jin-hyeok, Jang Un-ho, Lee Jin-young, Lee Won-seok, and Yoo Sang-bin, who are training at the 1st team camp, are on fire. In the meantime, the remaining outfield space was opened as an internal competition space, but with the arrival of Lee Myung-gi, the competition became more intense. Hanwha coach Carlos Subero said, “Many young players have been given opportunities, but now is the time to prepare them to a competitive level within the league. The trade message is clear. He emphasized that only by winning through competition can you find your place.”