"There are no plans for FA right now." KIA, which is catching breath, is also tight in the batting cycle of 'Macam Self-Governing' right-handed batters
"There are no plans for FA right now." KIA, which is catching breath, is also tight in the batting cycle of 'Macam Self-Governing' right-handed batters
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KIA Tigers, who began preparing for the 2025 season immediately after winning the Korean Series, began to catch their breath.메이저놀이터
KIA general manager Shim Jae-hak said in a phone call with Star News after recruiting Wisdom on the 26th, "We are leaving all possibilities open, but there is nothing in discussion right now regarding trade or FA acquisition."
Over the past month, Kia has been running fast. After winning the Korean Series, they attended various events including award ceremonies, but managed to trade Cho Sang-woo (30) and recruit foreign players behind the scenes. They acquired foreign ace (31), which was their top priority, for a total of 1.8 million U.S. dollars and filled the remaining foreign pitcher with Adam Oler (30), a starting pitcher of the Major League. After hard work, they replaced Socrates Brito (32), who had been active for three years, and acquired Patrick Wisdom (33), who had 20 home runs for three consecutive years in the Major League, culminated in the acquisition.
The team also closely monitored the current situation of the KBO league in Korea. To fill the void left by Jang Hyun-sik (29, LG Twins), who left the team as an FA, Lim Ki-young (31) was retained at an appropriate price, and brought in Cho Sang-woo (31), the finisher of the national team, as a trade of nomination rights. As he adequately filled in the gaps, he was evaluated by KBO officials as being well-organized as this year's championship season. Now, he has to negotiate with Seo Geon-chang (35), an internal FA.
Kia also has concerns over the situation. Its main position is to clean up its infield traffic by recruiting Wisdom. As a third baseman, Wisdom can play as both a first baseman and a corner outfielder. He played 2,119 ⅔ innings in 277 games, the most at third base, and played 280 innings in 83 games, including 464 ⅔ innings in 83 games and seven innings in the outfield.
In KIA, where KBO MVP and third baseman Golden Glove winner Kim Do-young (21), he is likely to play first base. At the time of the announcement of the recruitment, the KIA team introduced, "Wizdom is a player who can defend first base, third base and outfield, and is highly useful not only in offense but also in defense," hinting at the possibility of backing up third base and outfield.
What was most regrettable was Byun Woo-hyuk (24), a promising right-handed hitter. In his second year at the Kia Tigers this year, Byun finally showed his side as a right-handed slugger. After Lee's injury, he received an opportunity to hit .304 (51 hits in 168 times at bat) in 69 games, five homers, 21 RBIs and 22 runs, and an on-base percentage of .369 on-base plus slugging percentage of .470 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.839, which was his best performance since his debut.
Notably, his superior defense at first base was recognized even within Kia, including its manager Lee Bum-ho. "It is important for a first baseman to catch other infielders' throws (scoop moves), but Woo Hyuk is good at that," Lee once said. In the Korean Series, he was substituted at mid-to-late games where defense is most important among the three first basemen (Byun Woo-hyuk, Lee Woo-sung and Seo Geon-chang).
Right-handed hitters need as much patience and opportunity as catcher and shortstop. Not only the Major League but also the KBO has a wide gap between first-tier and second-tier pitchers, and thus right-handed hitters experience the growth of outstanding first-tier right-handed pitchers. Needless to say, promising big-handed hitters who must display long balls over contacts.
Byun Woo-hyuk was also one of the players who felt the importance of constant opportunities and devoted himself to training for the opportunity that might come at any time. During the season, Byun Woo-hyuk said in an interview with Star News, "I felt again this year that consistently playing at-bats is the most helpful for players," but added, "If I consistently prepare well, opportunities come. Also, when that opportunity came, I felt that if I continue as a starter, I could create synergy."
His determination continued even after he won the Korean Series. According to an official from Kia Motors, Byun Woo-hyuk volunteered to participate in the finishing training session in Okinawa, Japan, even though he was the winner. It was a valuable piece of sweat to become the main first baseman.
After returning from the closing camp, however, the news that was coming to him was rather harsh. A realistic scenario is that Byun will serve as a backup first baseman or substitute for left-handed batters with the recruitment of Wisdom. Byun was strong against left-handed pitchers this year with a batting average of 0.370 (27 hits in 73 times at bat) and five homers. Fans are paying keen attention to how Kia will spend the rest of offseason at a time when it is tight to give Byun a chance.