Since it has not been a year since the trade has been in progress, “evaluation” may be premature. In some cases, the contents of the income statement change every year, so evaluation of the trade should always be cautious.
In the KBO league last year, the trade was active. Some teams had a winning move to win the championship, while others chose the future. Some teams rushed to reinforce their vulnerabilities somehow, while others used their surplus power. It is true that the trade has widened as it became possible to trade rookie draft nominations.
The first trade in 2023 was between Hanwha and NC. It was Feb. 14 last year. Hanwha handed over infielder Cho Hyun-jin and seventh round draft picks for 2024 KBO rookie drafts and conducted a trade to accept outfielder Lee Myung-ki and catcher Lee Jae-yong from NC.
The main player was Lee Myung-ki. He is a veteran outfielder with a career batting average of .305 and 1,104 hits. After exercising his right to become an FA after the 2022 season, he eventually changed his uniform into an autograph-and-trade method. Prior to the trade, NC signed an FA contract with Lee for up to 100 million won (44,940 U.S. dollars) per year (50 million dollars per year, and incentives 50 million won).
The Hanwha Eagles wanted to bring in Lee Myung-ki to reinforce both the outfielders and the second batter. However, Lee suffered a fracture in his right ankle while trying to steal second base in the top of the fifth inning against the Daejeon SSG on April 7. It took nearly six months for Lee to return. He was thus able to return to the main league only in October. In 14 games last year, Lee had only five RBIs and a batting average of .175.
Samsung and Kiwoom have also made a trade. The trade took place less than a month after the opening of the regular season. It was April 27 last year. Samsung gave Kiwoom the third round pick of the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft, while conducting a trade to buy Kiwoom right-hander Kim Tae-hoon. 메이저 토토사이트
Samsung, which desperately needed to strengthen its bullpen, proactively pursued the trade. However, satisfactory results did not follow. Kim played in 71 games, the most since his professional debut, but only posted an ERA of 7.11 with six wins, seven losses, three saves and 11 holds. This was in stark contrast to his record of 3.14 ERA with three wins, two losses and nine saves and 10 holds in 43 games in 2022. Lee also posted a batting average of .246 with two homers and 30 RBIs in 89 games, showing his slugging performance decline compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, Kiwoom showed confidence by signing a multi-year non-FA contract with Lee for up to 1 billion won for 2+1 years.
Lotte and KT also made a deal. The day when the two teams sealed the trade was May 19 last year. Lotte gave up infielder Lee Ho-yeon and KT gave up left-hander Shim Jae-min in one-on-one trade. At the time, Lotte needed reinforcement because it lacked adequate left-hander resources other than Kim Jin-wook, and KT desperately needed resources to fill the void as fielders were injured one after another. So far, Shim appears to be a “win-win.” Regardless of whether he is a starter or a relief pitcher, Shim Jae-min played in all weather events, leaving him with three wins, one loss, six holds, and an ERA of 3.78, while Lee Ho-yeon established himself as a member of the first division with a batting average of 0.278 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 85 games.
The Doosan Bears’ SSG trade was announced less than a week after Lotte’s trade with KT. On May 25 last year, Doosan gave up right-handed pitcher Kang Jin-seong while conducting a one-on-one trade to accept Jungwoo Kim, a right-handed pitcher. Kang maintained the batting average of around .300 until the end of August, but had no hits in 11 times at bat since September. He had a batting average of .261 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 58 games. Jungwoo Kim only had a 9.45 ERA in seven games.
There was also a trade between Samsung and KIA. The trade between the two teams took place on July 5 last year. Samsung utilized catcher Kim Tae-gun as a trade card, and was able to bring in infielder Ryu Ji-hyuk from KIA. The catcher trade that Samsung had been pushing since last winter has finally come to fruition. KIA, which had been suffering from a catcher crisis, has also successfully secured its home ground by bringing in Kim. Kim posted a batting average of .257 with one homer and 42 RBIs in 114 games, and signed a three-year, non-FA multi-year contract with KIA for a total of 2.5 billion won (2.5 million U.S. dollars). Ryu Ji-hyuk, who has been consistently used as the starting pitcher for Samsung, has posted a batting average of .268 with two homers, 45 RBIs and 26 stolen bases in 132 games.
This time, it was LG’s turn. While racing to win the Korean Series, his ultimate goal, LG opted for a trade to fill in its demands. The team first had a one-on-one trade deal with NC on July 18 last year. It was an exchange between right-handed pitcher Chae Ji-sun and outfielder Choi Seung-min. As Shin took off as the starting second baseman, the trade met LG’s “needs,” which required a pinch runner. Choi had a batting average of .071 in 38 games but stole eight bases. In the Korean Series, he played in two games and left one stolen base. Chae only had an 8.10 ERA in three games.
The trade that drew the most attention last year was the deal between LG and Kiwoom, which took place on July 29. LG put in great effort as it handed over two promising players, outfielder Lee Ju-hyung and right-handed pitcher Kim Dong-gyu, and the right to draft for the first round of the 2024 KBO. The deal was aimed at recruiting Kiwoom right-handed pitcher Choi Won-tae. It was the best choice for LG, which desperately needed to recruit a proven starting pitcher. Choi had nine wins and seven losses with an ERA of 4.30 in 26 games, and was disqualified after allowing two hits, two walks, and four runs in ⅓ innings in the second game of the Korean Series, but LG ultimately won the game.
Rather, it was Lee Ju-hyeong who received more attention after the trade. Lee Ju-hyeong also received attention as a promising player during his time at LG, but in reality, it was not easy to get many opportunities in the company. For Lee, Kiwoom was the land of opportunity. With Lee’s ankle surgery overlapping, playing time naturally increased as well. His performance in 69 games was .326 with 6 home runs and 36 RBIs. Naturally, the term “second Lee Jung-hoo” also appeared. Now, Lee has advanced to the Major League. Attention is focusing on whether Lee will be able to become the next big star this year.
Thus, the 2023 season came to an end, and only one trade was made in the offseason. On November 27 last year, Lotte granted the team the right to draft left-handed pitcher Jin Hae-soo for the fifth round of the 2025 KBO Rookie Draft on condition that he was hired by LG. After sighing due to the absence of a left-handed bullpen, Lotte paid much attention to strengthening the depth of left-handed pitchers by recruiting Jin Hae-soo, who had gradually declined in weight from LG, and Lim Joon-seop, a left-handed pitcher in the released player market. Whether Lotte will be able to see the effect of the trade remains to be seen this season.