Will Sangbaek stay in Suwon or move somewhere else?
There is a lot of interest in pitcher Sang-baek Uhm, who is eligible for free agency for the first time in his career.
In the offseason, every team is looking to bolster their pitching staff. It would be great if there were a lot of big names on the market, but sometimes that’s not the case. That’s the case this year. There’s no team power, no league-changing free agent in sight.
So the heavens seem to be helping Eom Sang-baek. In the meantime, he stands out for his ‘military discipline’. That’s why clubs that need to spend money are only interested in him. As a starter, he is the most valuable resource. If Choi Won-tae, who also applied for free agency, had a good season, the interest would have been divided, but Choi’s poor performance, including the postseason, cooled the interest. So Uhm Sang-baek gets the bounce back benefit. He was labeled the “biggest name” early on. He won a career-high 13 games before free agency. His ERA was very high at 4.88, and he didn’t look like a big-game pitcher in fall baseball. However, his 159 strikeouts make up for it. He’s not an ace, but he’s certainly capable of holding down a starting spot. That makes him even more valuable.
KT’s position as an elemental club is important.
In fact, KT is a club that is rich in starting pitchers. They have two foreign players, Ko Young-pyo, the “10.7 billion won man,” is healthy, and Choi Min-joon is preparing to return to the starting lineup next season after elbow surgery. Add in a center fielder, and you’ve got the perfect team. 토토사이트 They also acquired left-hander Oh Won-seok via trade.
Some speculated that the team brought in Oh Won-seok with the intention of parting ways with Uhm Sang-baek. In fact, KT watched last year’s closer Kim Jae-yoon leave for the Samsung Lions for 5.8 billion won ($5.8 million), believing he could be replaced by Park Young-hyun.
However, the situation is different from Kim Jae-yoon’s case. KT is desperate for Uhm Sang-baek and has already made an offer. According to a source familiar with KT’s situation, “KT has made a ‘full bet’. They have offered the best terms they can,” said a source familiar with the situation.
KT isn’t an incredibly aggressive investor, but when it does spend money, it spends it hard. It has signed Hwang Jae-gyun to two big-money free agent contracts, and Ko Young-pyo to a $10.7 billion non-free agent multi-year deal ahead of this season. His negotiation style is to offer the maximum from the start, not to negotiate with the player. That’s what they did with Ko Young-pyo.
This means that there is no room for KT to change their terms. We’ve prepared our best, and it’s up to him to accept it or not. Now, other clubs are expected to start bidding for him in earnest. Whether it’s money or circumstances, the choice is now up to him.