The Samsung Lions, which hired two free agents, is also making efforts to crack down on rabbits. The first player to stamp the seal is Kim Dae-woo.
Samsung announced on Tuesday that it has signed an FA contract with pitcher Kim Dae-woo. According to the team’s announcement, the details of the two-year contract amount to 400 million won (down payment of 100 million won, annual salary of 200 million won, option of 100 million won).
After completing the contract, Kim Dae-woo said, “I’m happy to play baseball while listening to the cheering sound of Samsung fans again,” adding, “As an old player, I want to show my fans better performance and better performance than before with a sense of responsibility.”
▲ Samsung’s investment focused on the bullpen
Samsung, which failed to advance to the postseason for the last two consecutive seasons, is now busier than ever. Notably, Samsung’s general manager Lee Jong-yeol has expressed his commitment to take a leap forward in both domestic and overseas markets since taking office.
There were many tasks to be done. However, given the priority, nothing was more urgent than bullpen sessions. There was a good reason. Last year, Samsung’s bullpen average was 5.16, the lowest among the 10 teams. It also had 38 losses and was the No. 1 ranking in overall losses in the league. This means that there were more games than expected that the team missed victory after the middle of the game.
A total of five bullpen pitchers – Kim Dae-woo (64 innings), Oh Seung-hwan (62 ⅔ innings), Lee Seung-hyun (right-hander, 60 innings), and Kim Tae-hoon (55 ⅔ innings) – threw more than 50 innings last season. Among them, only Oh Seung-hwan and Lee Seung-hyun have been called in to take on the winning team or in a close game. No matter how many innings a starting pitcher throws, it was hard to guarantee victory unless the team scores a large number of runs.
The bullpen pitchers listed on the 2024 FA-approved list announced by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on November 18 last year are Ham Deok-ju (LG Twins), Kim Jae-yoon (former KT Wiz), Soju (current KT), Hong Geon-hee (Doosan Bears), Kim Dae-woo, Oh Seung-hwan, and Lim Chang-min (Samsung). Most of them are pitchers who have experienced or experienced a must-win group, and it was worth pursuing recruitment.
Samsung, which moved quickly, signed a maximum total of 5.8 billion won with Kim Jae-yoon on November 22 last year, less than a week after the FA market opened, including 2 billion won in down payment, 2.8 billion won in annual salary, and 1 billion won in incentives. Kim Jae-yoon’s professional performance was 481 games, 504 ⅔ innings, 44 wins, 33 losses, 17 holds, 169 saves, and 3.58 ERA.
What stood out the most was his steadiness. Kim Jae-yoon recorded a whopping 118 saves in the last four seasons with 21 saves in 2020, 32 saves in 2021, 33 saves in 2022, and 32 saves last year. Oh Seung-hwan (123 saves) was the only pitcher who had more saves than Kim during the period.
This was not the end of Samsung’s move. On the 5th, Samsung signed a two-year FA contract with pitcher Lim Chang-min for a total of 800 million won (down payment of 300 million won, annual salary of 400 million won, option of 100 million won). It is expected that recruiting Lim Chang-min as a veteran pitcher will create the best bullpen in the league and create a positive synergy effect with young players in the team 헤라카지노.
Lim Chang-min, who experienced ups and downs while working for the NC Dinos-Doosan Bears-Kium Heroes, showed off his robust performance with two wins, two losses and one hold and 26 saves with an ERA of 2.51 in 46 ⅔ innings in 51 games last year. It is the first time in six years that he has reached the 20-save mark since 2017.
▲Tongsan 352G appearance + No. 1 bullpen inning in the team last year, Kim Dae-woo still needs the team
Samsung, which made achievements through recruitment from outside, did not neglect negotiations with the internal FA as well. Among Kang Han-ul, Oh Seung-hwan and Kim Dae-woo, Kim Dae-woo was the one who concluded the contract the most.
Kim Dae-woo, who joined Nexen (currently Kiwoom) in 2011 after playing at Seoul High School and Hongik University, moved to Samsung through a trade in 2016. Since then, he has played various roles depending on the needs of the team. He was mostly a long-relief pitcher, but he was one of the indispensable pitchers in his team as he sometimes started as a substitute.
Kim Dae-woo, who pitched in only four games in the first division in 2022, was responsible for the most innings among bullpen pitchers in the team last season, recording 44 games, 64 innings, 2 losses, 4 holds, and 4.50 ERA.
The bullpen has been sluggish throughout the season, putting more pressure on starting pitchers. Even closer Oh Seung-hwan went through trial and error while trying to make changes, starting early in the season. Younger players also tried to fulfill their role as veterans.
Kim Dae-woo, who had a sense of responsibility, also faithfully performed his given role and was trusted by manager Park Jin-man. Kim, who played for 11 seasons, posted a professional record of 27 wins, 26 losses, 23 holds, and two saves with an ERA of 5.75 in 352 games and 580 ⅔ innings.
Kim is highly likely to play various roles depending on the team’s circumstances this season. The Samsung team also praised Kim’s utilization, saying, “As an underhand pitcher who is lacking in the team, Kim is expected to increase diversity in the existing pitching staff as well as play in all different seasons.”
However, it is not a good thing that Kim Dae-woo will take the mound as a substitute starter more days. The best scenario for Samsung is that existing starting pitchers continue to rotate and Kim Dae-woo continues to take the mound as a bullpen.
▲Internal FA Still Remaining… Kang Han-ul and Oh Seung-hwan
While Kim Dae-woo, who will join Samsung again this year, is preparing for the 2024 season, infielder Kang Han-ul and pitcher Oh Seung-hwan have yet to complete their contracts. However, Samsung plans to continue accompanying the two players.
Kang Han-ul was 46 for 212 at-bats last season with a batting average of 0.217 and a 10-run OPS of 0.551, but he is a necessary player in the 2024 season’s infield composition. Last year, he was also one of the players that Park Jin-man always mentioned whenever he conducted an interview with reporters.
Another contract with an internal FA and Oh Seung-hwan is another big task that Samsung must solve. Oh, who did not hesitate despite hardships last year, garnered 30 saves and recorded 400 saves in total in the KBO League for the third consecutive year. His performance in the 2023 season is 4 wins, 5 losses, 2 losses, and 30 saves with an ERA of 3.45 in 62 ⅔ innings in 58 games.