Will there be a second episode.
Will the Hanwha Eagles become the winner of the 2024-2025 FA market? Since general manager Son Hyuk took office in the fall of 2022, he has never passed the FA market. He has been the hero of winter for three consecutive years. Chae Eun-sung, An Chi-hong, and Shim Woo-jun even pressed the biggest non-FA word, Ryu Hyun-jin, into the big FA.
On July 7, Hanwha signed Shim Woo-joon for a four-year maximum of W5 billion. With this happening, Kim received an FA gift just five months after taking office. At some point, clubs give out free agency to a coach who has just taken office. However, as Kim took office in the middle of the season, he was not able to do so even if the club wanted to.
Shim Woo-joon is a typical defensive shortstop. He has a stable defense and good mobility. The batting is slightly weak, but he is a necessary player in the era of the baseball revolution. Hanwha’s central field somewhat overlaps with the recruitment of Shim Woo-jun. Manager Kim Kyung-moon’s traffic control is important.
▲2024-2025 FA qualification event 20 people
A-Choi Wontae, Koo Seungmin, and Kim Wonjoong
B-Im Ki-young, Jang Hyun-sik, Ryu Ji-hyuk, Heo Kyung-min, Um Sang-baek, Shim Woo-jun (KRW 5 billion for four years), Noh Kyung-eun, Ha Joo-seok, and Lee Yong-chan
C- Seo Geon-chang, Kim Heon-gon, Kim Kang-ryul, Woo Kyu-min (KT-2 years 700 million won), Choi Jeong (SSG-4 years 11 billion won), Lim Jung-ho, Kim Sung-wook, Moon Sung-hyun
According to industry officials, Hanwha did not withdraw from the FA market. It is an environment where the only internal FA is Ha Joo-seok, so it is possible to focus on recruiting external FA. As the need for Ha Joo-seok has decreased due to the recruitment of Shim Woo-jun, it is not strange to turn to the outfield or pitcher now. 먹튀검증
Actually, the returning monster, Ryu Hyun-jin, is lonely. He spent his first season signing an eight-year, 17-billion-won non-FA multi-year contract. He worked hard in 28 games, 10-8 with a 3.87 ERA. He pitched 158 ⅓ innings. He was the only pitcher with 10 wins for the Hanwha Eagles. And he was the pitcher with the most innings for the Eagles. Obviously, it is not desirable in the long run.
During the three years since joining the team, Moon had many minor and major injuries. Hwang Joon-seo has revealed his growing pains. There is no guarantee that Jung Woo-joo, a top rookie who will join next year, will also be able to start the game full time. Kim Min-woo is in his first season after Tommy John surgery. Two foreign starters and Ryu Hyun-jin are also included. Still, it is hard to say that the fourth or fifth starting pitcher is strong.
There are some proven starting pitcher resources in this FA market, Eom Sang-baek and Choi Won-tae. They are not special starting pitchers, but they can be selected from 3 to 4 in any team. Hanwha would have evaluated the future value in its own way. There is a good chance that it will fluctuate the FA market once again. In addition, Hanwha needs to strengthen its outfield defense compared to the infield. Kim Sung-wook is an outfielder in the FA market with defensive power.
In fact, the FA market is a bullpen market this time. Ten out of 20 applicants are bullpen pitchers. However, Hanwha’s biggest achievement this year is that it has built its own solid winning team. Starting with closing players, Kim Seo-hyun, Lee Min-woo, Park Sang-won and Han Seung-hyuk are listed. It seems relatively unlikely that they will invest in bullpen FA.
In the latest FA market, teams can recruit up to two players from outside. If Hanwha recruits one more FA, it is expected to become the winner of winter once again. Frequent teams at lower ranks have a duty to give hope to fans at this time of year.
