It is a dramatic meeting. Korean major leaguer Ji-man Choi (32) was traded to San Diego ahead of the trade deadline, and he became a teammate with Ha-seong Kim (28).
On the 2nd (Korean time), the official Major League Baseball website (MLB.com) said, “The San Diego Padres have agreed to a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. We are sending three prospects, including Erro and Alfonso Rivas, to Pittsburgh,” said the news that San Diego and Pittsburgh have agreed to a 3-2 trade.
https://displayad.zum.com/NetInsight/html/zum/news/newspage@newszum_pc_250In fact, only Choi’s trade was expected. Choi Ji-man was traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to Pittsburgh ahead of this season. However, it was predicted that the ‘accompaniment’ with Pittsburgh would not last very long. The reason is that if Choi Ji-man finishes this season, he can exercise his free agent rights. Fortunately, Pittsburgh was looking for a trade to prepare for next season as it is currently 47-58 and 4th in the National League Central Division despite the initial blast. You can understand Pittsburgh’s ‘stance’ just by looking at the trade of veteran first baseman Carlos Santana to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Then, why was Choi Ji-man selected by San Diego? San Diego is also a team that is in 4th place in the National League West with 52 wins and 55 losses. However, San Diego is a team that started with the goal of winning the World Series, and decided that it was not time to give up the season yet, so they decided to become a ‘buyer’ rather than a ‘seller’ in this trade market.
On this day, ‘MLB.com’ briefly introduced the reason why San Diego recruited Choi Ji-man, saying, “Choi Ji-man is the left-handed power hitter San Diego was looking for.” This year, San Diego tried to strengthen its offensive power by installing Jake Cronenworth at first base and using veterans Matt Carpenter and Nelson Cruz as designated hitters, but Cronenworth only batted .219 with 8 homers and 39 RBIs, while Carpenter batted .166 4 With 27 home runs and 23 RBIs with a batting average of .245 and 5 homers and 23 RBIs, Cruz left a disappointing performance, becoming the ‘main culprit’ that reduced San Diego’s destructive power.
‘MLB.com’ said, “Jun Choi will probably start as a designated hitter against right-handed pitchers. Essentially, Ji Man Choi fills the role Carpenter was expected to fill this season. Carpenter batted .166 this year with an OPS of . 598,” he explained.
The fact that Choi Ji-man recently showed off his hot bat was also a factor that attracted San Diego’s taste. ‘MLB.com’ said, “It is a bit of a mystery that Choi Ji-man did not play many games this season.” “Since returning from injury, he has 4 homers, .930 OPS, and 140 adjusted runs production (wRC+). “And one of those home runs came against San Diego. Choi Ji-man has a career OPS of .772 over eight years in the big leagues and is hitting .810 against right-handed pitchers.”
The meeting with Kim Ha-seong, the same Korean major leaguer, is also raising expectations. “Choi Ji-man became the first Korean fielder to participate in the World Series while playing in the 2020 World Series. The World Series is the stage that his new colleague Kim Ha-seong also wants to play in,” MLB.com said. In the end, if San Diego does not break its aspirations to win the World Series and gains wings with Choi Ji-man, Ha-seong Kim’s dream will come closer.
Attention is focusing on whether Choi Ji-man, who has a batting average of .205, on-base percentage of .224, slugging percentage of .507, and OPS of .731 with 6 home runs and 11 RBIs this year, will be able to bloom a new flower in his baseball career in San Diego, the team that wanted him. Coincidentally, since he is facing free agency, his personal motivation is considerable.
Veteran left-handed pitcher Hill, who came to San Diego with Choi Ji-man, is also famous for being the oldest player this season, and this year, San Diego is recorded as his 13th team in his 19th year of big league career. ‘MLB.com’ said, “Hill is the third player to have played for 13 clubs.” Hill appeared as a starting pitcher in all 22 games this year and threw 119 innings, recording a record of 7-10 with a 4.76 ERA, showing off his long field. His individual career record is 89-69 with an earned run average of 3.93 in 372 appearances and 1378 innings pitched.
In addition, San Diego succeeded in reinforcing the bullpen pitching staff through a trade with the Kansas City Royals that day. San Diego handed over two prospects, including Henry Williams and Jesus Rios, to Kansas City and recruited right-handed bullpen Scott Barrow.
‘MLB.com’ said, “Barrow is calm at critical moments and has the ability to pitch even in difficult situations. He is also famous for consistently demonstrating leadership as a veteran in the clubhouse.” It seems appropriate to mound in close combat situations.” Barrow, who served as Kansas City’s closer this year, is recording 2-4, 13 saves, and an ERA of 5.35 in 38 appearances. Last year, he went 7-4 with 24 saves and a 2.18 ERA in 69 games.