KIA's Future Plan for 'Certain 2nd consecutive defeat'
KIA's Future Plan for 'Certain 2nd consecutive defeat'
Blog Article
Kia has rekindled its once-cold stove league. Kia, which had remained silent amid fierce recruitment competition among rival teams, expressed its strong will to win its second consecutive title with just one shot.메이저사이트
Cho Sang-woo, acquired by Kia through a trade on the 19th, is a pitcher with the strongest pitching power in the league. He became the "save king" (33 saves) in 2020 by banking on his fast and strong pitching, and also played as a relief pitcher for the national team. It was a "main product" for Kiwoom to announce an open trade this season. Coincidentally, however, he suffered an injury this season and failed to achieve his goal during this season.
KIA caught this hot potato with its bare hands. It gave Kiwoom 1 billion won in cash and the first and fourth round nomination rights for 2026 rookies, and recruited Cho Sang-woo.
Kiwoom has clearly expressed its commitment to transfer its players to another club and set up a club with benefits in return. The Korean team has even given up the right to hold the two foreign starters who topped the league this season, saying it will not pay for their performance, sparking controversy anew over the management method in which players are traded to ensure the club's livelihood. KIA has quickly taken the lead.
Kia lost Jang Hyun-sik, a free agent, to LG last month, leaving a gap in its must-win pitching group. Due to its strategy to avoid overpaying, it was unable to catch Jang, and it was also difficult to recruit outside players among the FA players. While reinforcing the number of mid-term pitchers with existing ones, it has been focusing more on recruiting foreign pitchers in order to prevent any gap in starting pitchers.
However, he changed course and made a surprise trade by saying that safety devices were needed in the bullpen. Cho will become an FA at the end of next year's season. He thus gave 1 billion won to two future rookies for a deal that could become a "one-year card." If he fails, it will result in huge blood loss, and if he succeeds, it will be a perfect match.
It is a direct declaration to win in 2025.
Under Lee Bum-ho, Kia's new coach, this year won the title through a number of crises by banking on its strong batting lineup. Next year could be the last time that Kia can maintain its full capacity. After the end of next season, its main shortstop Park Chan-ho and outfielder Choi Won-joon will become free agents. Ace Yang Hyeon-jong is also in the last year of his four-year free agent contract, which he signed in 2022. Choi Hyung-woo, who signed a "one-plus-one-year contract" early this year, will also see his contract expire after next season. All of them are key players who made Kia the strongest team in this season. This is also why Kia has avoided overpaying in the free agent market.
Kia, which gave up its previous midfielder Jang Hyun-sik, took the position as a more powerful pitcher. Instead, it gave up its future to Kiwoom. It traded Cho even though it knew that Cho might only be available for one year.
Cho Sang-woo is the most attractive bullpen pitcher in the league, but his performance this year when he returned from military service was not good and he suffered injuries. KIA has a risk if it has to produce results next year. Above all, he held hands even at the risk of major bleeding in Kiwoom's underdeveloped game.
Depending on the outcome, the trade will be evaluated extremely differently. This trade show how Kia plans to prepare for 2025.