The KIA Tigers, the Samsung Lions and the LG Twins, who competed for this year’s championship, are having a busy winter. All three teams worked harder to strengthen the mound than to strengthen the lineup.
KIA, which won the combined championship this year, has been at the center of the biggest issue in the stove league.
The 30-year-old right-hander of the Korean national team and former Save King was recruited through a trade with the Kiwoom Heroes. KIA succeeded in acquiring Cho Sang-woo by providing 1 billion won in cash and first and fourth rounds of the rookie draft in 2026.
KIA, which was previously evaluated as having weakened the bullpen after FA Jang Hyun-sik left for LG, but he immediately shook off his worries due to Cho Sang-woo’s joining.
Cho Sang-woo has a lot of experience, ranking first in relief with 33 saves in the 2020 season.
KIA, which has abundant bullpen resources such as Jeon Sang-hyun and Kwak Do-kyu in Jung Hae-young, who ranked No. 1 in saves this year, is happily agonizing over where to use Cho Sang-woo. Cho Sang-woo, who boasts an overwhelming ball with a fast ball over 150km, is a player who can do his part in any position.
Furthermore, right-hander sidearm Lim Ki-young (31) also added strength to the bullpen by completing his FA contract with KIA for a total of 1.5 billion won for three years.
Samsung, which finished second behind KIA, is also unusual.
Samsung, which lacked native starters, brought in right-handed starter Choi Won-tae (27) as a free agent. It has invested a huge amount of 7 billion won (6.37 million U.S. dollars) over the past four years. Choi won nine games (seven losses) this year and has achieved a total of 78 wins (58 losses) in the league.
In addition, Samsung recruited right-hander Ariel Furado (28), who has a lot of experience in the KBO league, and established a solid starting lineup. Furado has achieved double-digit wins for two consecutive years, with 11 wins in the 2023 season and 10 wins this year. He boasts outstanding pitching skills in 183 ⅔ innings in his first year and 190 ⅓ innings this year.
Samsung has four easy starters, including Denny Reyes, who had the best performance in the fall baseball this year, as well as Hurado, Won Tae-in and Choi Won-tae. Samsung’s general manager Lee Jong-yeol expressed satisfaction, saying, “With Choi Won-tae joining along with proven foreign player Hurado, the starting lineup has improved.” 메이저사이트
LG is the busiest team to strengthen its players this winter.
After suffering from a lack of bullpen this season, LG quickly hired right-hander Jang Hyun-sik as a free agent. The team has overcome competition with other teams by betting a four-year total of 5.2 billion won (approx.
Jang has been a key pitcher of Kia’s bullpen by posting 16 holds this year, leading the team to win the title overall. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop plans to use Jang as the closing pitcher for next season.
In addition, Kim Kang-ryul, 36, a right-handed bullpen who played for Doosan Bears, has been hired as an FA for up to 1.4 billion won (1.5 million U.S. dollars) per year during his contract period of 3+1. In addition, he recently had Shim Chang-min, a right-handed sidearm who was released by the NC Dinos.
Furthermore, LG also brought Choi Chae-heung (29), a left-hander who was nominated first, as compensation player for Choi Won-tae’s FA. Choi can be used both as a starter and as a bullpen.
LG, which lacked reliable bullpen resources such as Kim Jin-sung and Yoo Young-chan this season, worked hard to strengthen its bullpen depth. “The more bullpen resources you have, the more helpful it is for your team,” manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said.
