In reality, it might be better for Ko to rebound a year in Korea and become a free agent, and advance to the Major League under better conditions. He is also far more advantageous when he returns to the free agent league.
However, Ko has chosen to play in the Major League. An entertainment show “Infinite Challenge,” which became a legend, may become a legend like “Infinite Challenge,” just as “Infinite Challenge” became “Infinite Challenge.”
John Heyman, a reporter for the New York Post, said on his SNS on the 3rd (Korea Standard Time), “Korean right-hander Ko Woo-suk is close to signing a contract with San Diego,” adding, “San Diego will use Ko Woo-suk as a closer.” 온라인경마
Having joined the LG Twins in 2017, Ko was sluggish in 2018 with an ERA of 5.91 in 67 innings in the 20-year-old season and his second year as a professional. However, he became an excellent bullpen pitcher, as he was in his second year as a professional and 20-year-old season, and even took the final position of LG.
In particular, his outstanding performance with 34 saves in 70 innings in the 2019 season and an ERA of 1.48 with 42 saves in 60.2 innings in the 2022 season were both his career highs and highs. Ko was considered one of the best bullpen pitchers in Korea.
Coincidentally, however, Ko was sluggish in the 2023 season with an ERA of 3.68 in 44 innings due to shaky fastballs and cutters. He recorded a minus 0.75 in WPA (contributing to his chance of winning the game). Of course, the season right before he entered the Major League was the worst since he became a closing pitcher.
If this happens, a player’s value will undoubtedly decline. A decline in value means that he will not be treated justly. Furthermore, Ko only had one year left until becoming an FA. Having played since 2017, Ko has played for seven seasons until the 2023 season. If he plays one more season until the 2024 season, he will become an FA after completing eight seasons.
It is advantageous for Major League teams to be able to take care of the money that they can go to the club by themselves if they try to enter the Major League as a free agent rather than posting, which requires LG to pay a transfer fee. If you go to the Major League through posting, you have to negotiate with LG only within a limited amount when you return to the KBO League, which is much more advantageous because you can negotiate with other teams other than LG when you return to the KBO League after going to the Major League as an FA.
In other words, if he tries to overcome his low career and become a free agent after the 2024 season, he will surely have a better choice. However, he chose to go to the Major League immediately. He won’t want to spend a year struggling. Shohei Ohtani, who moved to the Major League after the 2017 season, made this choice.
At that time, players under the age of 25 in the Major League could only sign a minor league contract. In other words, they had to sign contracts for general draft players who could become FA only after completing six years and playing for at least two to three years.
Ohtani, who was 24 years old at the time, was evaluated to be able to sign a contract worth more than 200 million dollars if he went to the Major League after the age of 25. However, he wanted to challenge the Major League faster, so he went to the Major League after the 2017 season, regardless of the amount, and signed a 700 million dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season.
As in Ohtani’s case, who challenged the Major League early on, Ko is taking on the challenge just to challenge the Major League quickly even though all unfavorable conditions are imminent. As San Diego is said to have few relief pitchers or excellent bullpen pitchers, Ko is expected to survive in the Major League if he shows performance as good as the level of his performance in the 2022 season.
