Left-handed pitcher Kang Ri-ho (formerly known as Kang Yun-gu), who declared his qualification as a free agent (FA), is having trouble finding a team.
Kang Ri-ho seems to be going through the process of saying goodbye to his original team, Lotte. He recently announced through his personal social media broadcast, “I will think about it.”
At the end of November of last year, Lotte sent left-hander Kim Yoo-young as a compensation player for Yoo Kang-nam, who transferred under a free agent contract.
If it becomes clear that Kang Ri-ho will leave, attention is focusing on who Lotte will fill with the two left-handed bullpen pitchers. This is because Lotte is a team that has suffered from a lefty famine in recent years.
The reason Lotte brought Kang Ri-ho through a trade in 2021 was to fill the lack of a left-handed pitcher. Previously, Lotte recruited external resources such as Koh Hyo-jun and Jang Won-sam, but even this failed. Here, as the company with Kang Ri-ho becomes uncertain, we must look forward to other left-handed resources.
Among Lotte’s existing resources, there is also Kim Jin-wook, a promising player in his third year of professional debut. However, he is classified as a starting resource. Kim Jin-wook joined Geelong Korea in the Australian Pro League after finishing the regular season last year and gained practical experience as a starter.
If so, the number of left-handed resources that can inspire strength in the bullpen is limited to one person, Cha Woo-chan.
Cha Woo-chan, who was released from LG after last season, signed a contract with Lotte on December 1 last year.
Cha Woo-chan played only as a starter when he played for LG, but has been active as an all-weather pitcher since his days at Samsung.
In 2021, he was on the operating table due to a shoulder injury, and last year he did not play a single game in the first team. For Cha Woo-chan, who needs to raise his senses in real battles, starting with a bullpen position rather than a starting position is a way to ease the burden.
If Cha Woo-chan plays an active role as a left-handed bullpen, Lotte is perfect. This is because if experienced veteran Cha Woo-chan blocks even short innings, it can be of great help to the Lotte mound. When Lotte signed with Cha Woo-chan, they expressed their anticipation, saying, “As I have devoted myself to rehabilitation after leaving due to a shoulder injury, I will show a good figure if I make use of the experience of my long career as a player.”
Lotte reinforced more 메이저놀이터actively than any other team in the Stove League. When Cha Woo-chan puts the puzzle pieces together, the challenge for fall baseball becomes possible.