Lim Joon-seop, who was released by SSG at the end of last season, continued his baseball career at Lotte. Lotte lacked left-handed pitchers and was able to seize the opportunity at once. He played in 22 games in the first half, allowing eight runs and an earned run average of 6.35 in 11.1 innings, which fell short of expectations. He failed to make the first team roster after the match against Hanwha on Aug. 29. He eventually left the team.
There is another left-hander acquired from the stove league last year. In November 2023, veteran Jin Hae-soo was acquired in a trade.
Since joining the roster in May, Jin has played in 54 games this season. He allowed 21 runs (19 earned runs) and 6.18 earned runs in 27.2 innings, which was also below the expectations of his team.
Jin acquired the free agent status after the end of the season, but did not exercise his qualification. He postponed the FA qualification event by one year, dreaming of making a leap forward in the next season.
Since Lee Myung-woo (retired), who played an active role in the mid-2010s, Lotte has not had a left-handed pitcher who can take the must-win group.
Kim Jin-wook, who used it as a midfielder last year, visited his place after playing this season as a starting pitcher. Moreover, he will join the military service soon, and it is uncertain whether he will be able to join the team again next season.
Having made his name known as a former member of the "strongest baseball" entertainment program, Chung only showed possibility. He played in 18 games this year for the first time in the Korean pro league. This season, he allowed 12 runs and an earned run average of 4.56 in 23.2 innings. After the season, Chung was dispatched to a training camp at the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan to gain experience.토토사이트
Lotte named left-hander Kim Tae-hyun as the fourth priority in the first round of the rookie draft. The move was aimed at building left-hander depth. However, it is questionable whether a rookie can assume the heavy responsibility from the first year, just like Jeon Mir, who was active in the early part of this season but failed to play in the second half of this year.
Nonetheless, the credit card that the external FA market intends to recruit is not eligible. Lim Jung-ho is the only left-handed pitcher among players who have declared their FA status. However, as Lotte is focusing on internal FA, it is difficult to focus on external FA resources.
In many ways, it is time for Jin Hae-soo, who chose to re-enter the FA, to wake up. Like veteran pitcher Kim Sang-soo, who blossomed his skills at Lotte, Jin Hae-soo hopes to prove his value as a left-hander.