Lotte has filled the limit of 3 outside free agents. Catcher Yoo Kang-nam (31), infielder Roh Jin-hyeok (34), and pitcher Han Hyun-hee (30) immediately reinforced their strength for each position.
On the 17th, Lotte announced a contract with free agency pitcher Han Hyun-hee for up to 4 billion won for 3+1 years. The contract guarantees a total of 1.8 billion won, with a down payment of 300 million won and an annual salary guarantee of 1.5 billion won between 2023 and 2025. Including options for the final year, the total annual salary can be up to 3.7 billion won. Under the maximum condition, the total amount of the FA contract is 4 billion won.
Han Hyun-hee, who obtained FA qualification after finishing last year’s season, was classified as an out of power early on by Kiwoom, the original team. His position in Kiwoom was narrowed enough to be excluded from the postseason entry, and he was in danger of becoming a free agent without having a proper negotiation table.
Over the years, in mid-January, Lotte reached out to help. Han Hyeon-hee, who has been on the decline for the past 2 years and the last 3 years, has a lot of experience in both selection and rescue, and is 30 years old, so she is not too old yet. He lost 9kg after the season last year, and his motivation is clear as he became a new groom through marriage. If it rebounds, it can be a huge power increase factor for Lotte Mound. 안전놀이터
In November of last year, Lotte successfully recruited catcher Yoo Gang-nam (4 years, 8 billion won) and infielder Roh Jin-hyuk (4 years, 5 billion won) in the free agency market, heating up the free agency market. After two months, Han Hyun-hee was caught and the limit of 3 outside free agents was filled. After Hanwha (Kwon Hyuk, Song Eun-beom, Bae Young-soo), KT (Park Kyung-soo, Park Ki-hyuk, Kim Sa-yul) in 2015, and Hanwha (Chae Eun-seong, Lee Tae-yang, Oh Seon-jin) this year, it became the fourth team to recruit three external free agents. The total amount of the three contracts is 17 billion won, the most.
In the system of general manager Seong Min-gyu, which started in 2020, Lotte had no external FA recruitment other than infielder An Chi-hong in the first year. Rather than expensive free agency, he gathered young players through new nominations and trades and focused on nurturing them, but failed in fall baseball by finishing 7th, 8th, and 8th for three years and failed to produce results.
The route has completely changed this winter. Not only three free agents, but also veteran players released from other teams, such as pitcher Cha Woo-chan, Kim Sang-soo, Yoon Myung-jun, Shin Jeong-rak, catcher Lee Jung-hoon, and outfielder Ahn Kwon-soo, were attracted. Immediately, it is showing a win-now move with power resources.
Local ace Park Se-woong also delayed his enlistment by another year by signing a non-FA multi-year contract worth 9 billion won in 5 years. Lotte, which focused all on this season’s performance, immediately emerged as a candidate for the top 5, foreshadowing a change in the KBO League game.