“Which club sends its main players as compensation players. If this is the case, we shouldn’t order a uniform model.”
As the professional baseball free agent (FA) market for preparation for the 2025 season enters the final phase, the choice of compensation players based on the recruitment of “big fish” is emerging as a concern for clubs. Hanwha Eagles succeeded in recruiting “quasi-class” pitcher Um Sang-baek (28) from kt Wiz for a total of 7.8 billion won for four years in this recruitment match, but the price is also not easy. Hanwha, which caught Um Sang-baek, who was classified as a B grade in the FA market, gave up Jang Jin-hyuk (31), the main center fielder, as a compensation player. Although the mound has been strengthened firmly, for Hanwha, which has shown weakness in outfield defense this season, finding a fielder to replace Jang Jin-hyuk has emerged as an urgent task.
They are fans of the Hanwha Eagles nicknamed the “bodhisattva” in the Korean professional baseball league, but their reactions are not good either. Usually, in the FA, each club sends promising players rather than main players as compensation players to maintain and strengthen their power immediately. 바카라사이트
After recruiting Jang Hyun-sik (29), who protected the KIA Tigers’ bullpen this season, the LG Twins sent pitcher Kang Hyo-jong (22), who will join the military athletic unit next month, as compensation players, while Han Seung-joo (23) and Kim Young-hyun (22) of Hanwha and KT will change into KT and Doosan uniforms as compensation players for Shim Woo-joon (29) and Heo Kyung-min (34), respectively. Both Han and Kim are expected to join the military.
Contrary to market expectations, pitcher Choi Won-tae (27), whose destination has yet to be determined, is also struggling with the issue of calculating the ransom and selecting compensation players. Choi Won-tae, who is classified as A grade in the FA market, is known to want more conditions than that as his B grade Eom Sang-baek received 7.8 billion won.
Another burden on the team that intends to recruit Choi Wontae is that the scope of players who can be kept as protected players is reduced. A team that recruits a B-grade player from the FA can keep 25 of its players as protected players, but when recruiting A-grade players, the size will be reduced to 20. Considering that there are 28 players in the top tier, the team should give up its players who are not included in the protected players as compensation.
“In the end, the club’s value judgment on Choi Won-tae is the key,” said Min Hoon-ki, a commentator at Spotify. “With price expectations formed due to strict compensation, we have entered a war of wits over whether it is worth the main player to give as a reward.”
