Hanwha is perfect for Ryu Hyun-jin's return… Time for a decision is approaching

The poor players are a big part. The aftermath of the cancellation and reduction of the minor league for a while due to the COVID-19 pandemic still remains. Players who can use them have previous injuries or are heading to the Japanese professional baseball league. An official expressed frustration, saying, "We can't compete with Japanese teams. We can't compete with the 1 million dollar cap." Another official also said, "There are successful cases like Eric Peddy, but it's getting harder and harder to find good players. There are no pitchers in particular."

KBO has been limited to $1 million in ransom for new foreign players for six years since 2019. In the meantime, the minimum annual salary in the Major League continued to rise from $555,000 to $720,000. With the treatment and welfare of the minor leagues greatly improved, it is not easy to persuade players who want to remain in the U.S. under most conditions. As a result, recently, many players who failed to renew their contracts in Japan are on the list of recruitment candidates for domestic teams.

Batters are also hitters, but it is much harder to find pitchers. Hanwha, which is looking for a new pitcher with a strong first-round issue, has also faced difficulties. As the pitchers who were ranked first or second to be recruited have decided to stay in the U.S., the team seems to take a long time. As the team is searching mainly for pitchers who are not at risk of injury due to the failure of Birch Smith, who ended up with one game in the opening game, it does not have many options.

Hanwha, who renewed his contract with Felix Peña, who was the first starter this year, for up to $1.05 million on the 9th, but his worries are deepening over the remaining position. Left-hander Ricardo Sanchez, who is included in the list of pending players, is left for insurance, and if the market conditions continue to be bad, he can continue to accompany him.

Hanwha will rotate its starting rotation full-time as its rookie of the year Moon Dong-ju will be lifted from next year. Betetang Lee Tae-yang and Young-gun Kim Ki-jung, who played in the starting lineup in the second half of the year, and Hwang Joon-seo, the No. 1 rookie, impressed the coaching staff as a starting candidate in the closing camp. Attention is also focusing on the possibility of Kim Min-woo's rebound after recovering from a shoulder injury.

There are many factors to expect from the domestic starting lineup, but there are few certain constants. If foreign pitchers do not take the center stage, it is difficult to cope with variables. If they fail to find a foreign pitcher to pair with Peña, they will have no choice but to start the season with anxiety.

In this regard, Hanwha cannot afford to give up on Ryu. As his four-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays ended, Ryu, who was released as an FA, has yet to decide on a new team. There is not much news in the U.S., but since starting pitchers are so expensive, it seems unlikely that Ryu will sign a contract worth more than 10 million U.S. dollars per year, which is the standard for his remaining in the U.S.

Hanwha, however, is keeping an eye on Ryu's situation and remains hopeful. Although it has hired Ahn Chi-hong as an FA for a large amount of money, it has 5 billion won (approx. If Ryu returns, he will be able to instantly resolve his concern over starting the first pitcher, and Hanwha has high value as a pitching leader given the team's large number of young promising pitchers.

Hanwha is communicating with Ryu behind the scenes. Since last month, Ryu has expressed his intention to decide his future on Dec. 20 or within this year at the latest. It does not take long. Chances are high that he will decide his future on the big frame of staying in the U.S. or returning to Korea over the next 10 days. 먹튀검증