U.S. media SB Nation said on the 15th (Korea time), “Ko Woo-suk is a potential FA recruitment target for the Yankees,” adding, “The Yankees bullpen always welcomes the closer.”
After the 2023 season, Go knocked on the door of the Major League Baseball. If a player who is in a lower league wants to gain attention in the Major League, he must first express his intention to challenge himself and gain attention toward himself. However, Go expressed his intention to go to the U.S. at a time when no one expected.
LG granted conditional permission for Ko to move to the Major League. He is determined not to let Ko go at a cheap price. Consequently, Ko can confirm his move to the U.S. only when he makes at least minimum contract terms to play as a bullpen pitcher in the Major League.
Against this backdrop, the Yankees, the most prestigious team in the Major League, are showing interest in Ko Woo-suk. The Yankees made a big trade with the San Diego Padres in this stove league. Outfielder Juan Soto and Trent Grisham received pitchers Michael King, Drew Toff, Jonny Brito, Randy Vazquez, and catcher Kyle Higashioka.
As a result, the Yankees, whose pitching depth has decreased, is targeting Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Japan’s best starting pitcher in the FA market. In the bullpen pitcher lineup, Ko Woo-suk was listed as an interesting candidate. 메이저 토토사이트
The media said, “The depth of the pitching staff for the Yankees suddenly became thinner after the Soto trade. (Yankees owner) Hal Steinbrenner is ready to spend money. Yamamoto is the No. 1 player, but he can sign a short-term contract with Ko Woo-suk as a relief pitcher.”
“Go Woo-suk is the closing pitcher of LG,” Ko said. “His fastball produced over 60 percent of ground balls. This will be of great help to Yankee Stadium. The Yankees’ philosophy of developing relief pitchers has a reputation, and I think Matt Blake, the pitching coach, will maximize the productivity of talented players.”
Finally, he said, “Interestingly, Ko is the brother-in-law of Lee Jung-hoo, who signed a $113 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. The two players participated in the World Baseball Classic together.”
Meanwhile, Ko had three wins, eight losses and 15 saves with a 3.68 ERA in the 2023 season. In the 2022 season, Ko won the title of relief pitcher with four wins, two losses and 42 saves with a 1.48 ERA.