Choi Won-tae’s cool deal? fans are tired
This season Kiwoom has shown a distinctly different move than before. Unlike before, he was active in recruiting free agents. Although they did not catch the biggest fish class, they strengthened the bullpen by recruiting outside free agent Won Jong-hyun and strengthened their outfield weaknesses by bringing in Hyung-jong Lee, who was qualified as a Futures FA, at the end of the competition.
Kiwoom’s attitude made the league game more interesting. In the past, the club had an image of ‘selling players and doing business’, 스포츠토토 but last year, it advanced to the Korean Series by defeating the league’s highest-priced clubs in succession with the prospects it had nurtured. Although it was only runner-up, it was meaningful to ‘spend money’ like this after that.
Of course, baseball didn’t go to the checkout. Despite spending money differently than before, Kiwoom lags behind. There were too many injured players, and the players expected to do well were sluggish. Even Lee Jung-hoo suffered from a slump, so no one expected it. It was close to ‘bad luck’.
However, what happened after that is somewhat questionable. Kiwoom sent Kim Tae-hoon through a trade with the Samsung Lions and brought in veteran infielder Lee Won-seok, who ‘suddenly’ signed a multi-year contract. Lee Won-seok, of course, has a wealth of experience and skills, as well as a good attitude. However, it was a different result from the many decisions and directions that the Heroes club had made in the meantime.
Just a year and a half ago, it was Kiwoom that sent Park Byung-ho, who was the leader of the team, the core of the batting line, and the pride of the club, mercilessly. However, for Byeong-ho Park and a transfer student of the same age, signing a multi-year contract before free agency seemed inconsistent.
Choi Won-tae’s trade can be understood with his head. The LG Twins, who wanted to win the championship, desperately wanted to recruit, and in return, Kiwoom acquired the right to pick a rookie in the first round and another promising fielder Lee Joo-hyung and pitcher Kim Dong-gyu. Looking at it calmly, Kiwoom is in a difficult situation to win the championship it was aiming for this year, and it may be better from a long-term perspective to secure good rookies right away.
However, it left a scar on the fans again. After spending differently on signing free agents and signing multi-year contracts, they are now giving away a player that fans have cherished for a long time to another team after that player sees the light. Park Byeong-ho was sent that way, and now Choi Won-tae was also given up. Sooner or later, Lee Jung-hoo will also leave the team to go abroad, and no one knows what kind of ‘big deal’ will happen to which player. What is clear is that the fans’ belief that ‘this year is definitely’ and ‘now it’s really different’ has been shattered once again. How can you hope for the loyalty of your fans in this situation?