A feature of the foreign player market for KBO League clubs this year is that there were teams that turned away from players who had achieved fairly good results and made a bet. There were various circumstances such as inevitable circumstances or contract renewal failure, but in the meantime, there are some players who are a waste.
In fact, KIA gave up renewing contracts with left-handers Tus Nolin and Thomas Panoni, who both recorded average ERAs in the 2-point range this year. And they recruited two right-handed fireballers (Sean Anderson and Adonis Medina) who can throw stronger balls than them. NC also gave up on renewing the contract with outfielder Nick Martini, and SSG is also looking for a better pitcher than Sean Morrimando.
Morimando and Martini achieved results that could have easily reached the renewal of the contract if it was the same as before. Martini played 139 games this season as an outfielder and first baseman, posting a batting average of .296, 16 home runs, 85 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.826. Although he was worried about renewing the contract, he boldly excluded it from the list of pending players, and signed a contract with Jason Martin to find a new foreign hitter.
Morimando, who joined as a substitute foreign player after playing in Taiwan this year, also recorded an excellent record of 7 wins and 1 loss with an ERA of 1.67 in 12 games. SSG also included Morimando as a contract renewal target until right before the Korean Series. However, it seems to be looking for a new pitcher. Although included in the reserve list, Kirk McCarty was selected as a substitute, and he is undergoing a final physical examination with Annie Romero, who played in Japan this year. It is not that there is no possibility of a dramatic U-turn, but it should be seen that the possibility is gradually decreasing.
If so, wouldn’t other clubs who were worried about selecting foreign players consider the two players? There has been some movement, but it is a common testimony from industry insiders that it has now sunk below the surface. 토토사이트
In the case of Morimando, a club that was worried about a spot for a foreign pitcher showed interest, but he was pushed to the lower ranks after signing with another player. There is no problem with his physical condition, but it seems that there was a judgment that his competitiveness was somewhat inferior compared to the new players to be brought from the United States and compared to the existing players.
In the case of Martini, there are opinions that the ranking was also pushed back in that there were surprisingly many teams looking for right-handed hitters. Among KBO League outfielders, there are not a few left-handed batters, so right-handed outfielders have become relatively rare.
They are known to be interested in contracts in other leagues while watching the movement of the KBO League. Once a contract is signed, it is difficult to come to the KBO League for the time being. Although there is a prospect that he will enter the pool of substitute foreign players, it is a problem that cannot be guaranteed as it is necessary to see the situation at that time.