In addition to the 25 protected players, the obstacle to one compensation player was bigger than expected.
Ha Joo-seok (31) of the Hanwha Eagles played as an FA at the end of the 2024 season. He played in 64 games with a batting average of 292, one homer, 11 RBIs, 16 runs scored and OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.743. He was disappointed by his hamstring injury in the early days of this season. He failed to completely secure a position even as a starting player.메이저사이트
While Ha Joo-seok exercised his FA qualification, Hanwha signed Shim Woo-joon, who came to the FA market, for a total of 5 billion won for four years. Shim Woo-joon returned from his military service in Sangmu last year and hit 266, three home runs, 28 RBIs and seven steals in 53 games with an OPS of 0.680.
Although he was not noticeable in batting, he was highly valued for his excellent defensive sense and fast feet.
The recruitment of Shim Woo-jun further narrowed Ha Joo-seok's position in Hanwha. Lee Do-yoon, who has steadily grown while Ha Joo-seok was away, and Park Jung-hyun, who won the home run king and RBI king in Sangmu, will also return in June.
Hanwha and Ha Joo-seok seemed to be taking steps to break up. The problem is that no "love call" is coming into other clubs for sure.
It certainly has value. Analysts say that Ha can outperform the average in both offense, defense and base running. However, in order to recruit Ha, who is a Grade B free agent, he must send a compensation player other than 25 players and 100 percent of the previous year's salary or 200 percent of the previous year's salary. Ha's annual salary is 70 million won. For Hanwha, chances are high that it will choose Ha as a compensation player rather than a 200 percent annual salary.
Even multiple clubs that need shortstop are lukewarm about recruiting Ha Joo-seok. Hanwha has even left the possibility of signing and trading open, but it seems to take time to find a destination.
Some pointed out that he was disappointed when he applied for the free agent. "[Ha Joo-chan] was not good not only this season (2024 season) but also recently," retired player Cha Woo-chan said on YouTube. "(Ha Joo-chan) is talented and one of the players that I tried to raise at Hanwha. He showed some things. However, he also had some attitude issues at the baseball stadium, and his performance was not good enough. Nevertheless, the fact that he applied seems to mean that he will leave the team."
Following Cha Woo-chan-woon, he said, "It is right to apply after a one-year grace period and a really good performance next year. I am still young. But I applied even though I knew it was the worst situation."
There is still a possibility of signing and trade. At the same time, Hanwha also seems to be gradually holding negotiations over the remaining period.
For the Hanwha Eagles, Ha's stay is not just a bad option. He can be used as an option for shortstop to compensate for Shim's weak hitting. He also has slugging capability, as he has hit double-digit homers for three seasons. He is not bad as a left-handed hitter. Although he played shortstop throughout his career, he has experience in dealing with infield positions, which can also be considered to utilize through position change.
A detailed picture has yet to be drawn. Where will Ha's final destination be.