Why is Kwon Hee-dong still a missing FA?
Lee Myung-gi is sweating at Hanwha’s second-team spring camp in Kochi. However, Kwon Hee-dong still has not escaped from being a lost child of FA. Pitchers Jeong Chan-heon and Kang Ri-ho, including Kwon Hee-dong, are still in individual training without a team.
Why did Lee Myeong-gi and Kwon Hee-dong, who both obtained FA qualifications in NC, have mixed joys and sorrows? In the end, it should be seen as a difference in grade. This is because Lee Myeong-gi is a C grade with no compensation rules, and Kwon Hee-dong is a B grade with compensation players other than 25 players.먹튀검증
Kwon Hee-dong graduated from Kyungnam University and joined NC in the 9th round of 2013 with the 84th rank. 0.259 batting average, 81 home runs, 381 RBIs and 359 runs scored in 857 games. He also played 100 games or more in 6 seasons. He was valuable as a right-handed hitter with one-pitch and clutch abilities, going back and forth between starting and backing.
However, in 2021 and 2022, he only played 55 and 82 games due to violations of the Corona 19 quarantine rules and drinking waves. He’s not young at 33, but neither his athleticism nor his clutch abilities are top-of-the-line.
Moreover, as Lee Myung-gi went to Hanwha, it seemed that the exit was even more blocked for Kwon Hee-dong. This is because Hanwha has the weakest outfield among the 10 clubs. According to the industry, at this point, there is virtually no team to recruit Kwon Hee-dong while accepting the conditions he wants. Even if you get out of the free agency, can you get a better contract than Lee Myung-gi wearing a Hanwha uniform for up to 100 million won a year through signing and trading? It is unclear.
In a way, the team that suits Kwon Hee-dong the best is NC, the original team. For NC, the main outfield lineup has been confirmed with Park Gun-woo, Son Ah-seop, and foreign hitter Jason Martin. The idea is to use Han Seok-hyun, who was recruited as a Futures free agent, and Kim Seong-wook, who finished military service, as starting-class backups.
However, how many seasons will Han Seok-hyun and Kim Seong-wook play stably as the main backups? virtually none Kim Seong-wook is a 30-year-old right-handed outfielder with good batting potential and defensive skills. Reality is more like an unscratched lottery ticket. Han Seok-hyun, a 29-year-old left-handed outfielder, has only played 31 games in his first-team career.
At this point, most clubs’ outfield competition structure has been decided. There is no need to add Kwon Hee-dong. In the case of NC, it is a good deal if you catch Kwon Hee-dong at a cheap price in preparation for Park Gun-woo, Son Ah-seop, and Martin’s sluggishness or injury. It can be a win-win if it builds Kwon Hee-dong’s self-esteem to some extent and does not significantly affect the team’s payroll.
Even so, if NC really has no intention of signing a contract with Kwon Hee-dong, it can’t be helped. Because contracts are business, they cannot be enforced. Anyway, for Kwon Hee-dong, beyond the ‘crisis winter’, the ‘spring of despair’ is on the verge of approaching.