Socrates renews his contract, and Sanchez is withdrawn. The problem is Panoni. In a way, he may be the biggest part of the KIA Tigers’ 2024 plan. This is because he is the first starter in the team. Also, Kia’s most vulnerable part this season was the mercenary starters leading to Anderson and Medina.
However, this area is ambiguous. Kia has neither expressed its intention to renew the contract with Fannani nor willing to let him go. It is simply repeating its stance, “I am doing my best.”
In fact, Kia’s stance is natural. From Kia’s point of view, of course, it would like to recruit a better mercenary than Fani. Fani showed disappointing performance this year compared to last year. It is true that Fani is weak as a starting pitcher. Fani, who recorded an ERA of 2.61 in 82.2 innings in 2022, pitched 82.1 innings, the same innings this season, to post an ERA of 4.26. The WHIP also increased. The number of hits and strikeouts increased. The average innings is less than six.
Kia would understand this. The question is whether it can realistically find a good mercenary with Fani or higher. If a mercenary force who is weaker than Fani comes to the team without hesitation, he or she will make a mistake. In addition, Kia is not one player. As Sanchez is already confirmed to leave the team, two players have to be caught, but it is a big deal to find first-choice mercenaries for less than 1 million U.S. dollars. 안전 토토사이트
Limiting the amount of 1 million dollars is the biggest obstacle. “Recently, pitcher mercenaries consider Korea like insurance,” said KIA general manager Shim Jae-hak. Players who are aiming for MLB are screened once. And players who think about Asia knock against Japan first and then think about Korea. Even that, 1 million dollars is the Maginot Line. It is not competitive. This means that it is not easy to find new mercenaries.
In addition, most teams are competing to save mercenaries. In addition, there are limitations of local teams. Mercenaries prefer the Seoul metropolitan area with relatively good living conditions. An official familiar with the mercenary market says, “Local clubs should offer better conditions when bringing in mercenaries rather than Seoul.” However, if the amount is bundled into 1 million dollars, there is no way to offer better conditions.
In addition, the local news is that even MLB recently has precious pitching resources. This is why Ryu Hyun-jin is expected to pay more than $10 million, and it is also why Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto did not throw a single ball to MLB, but the story of $300 million is coming out.
And even if he comes to Asia, as Shim said, Japan is a priority over the KBO League. For example, Trevor Bauer of the Yokohama BayStars will receive about $4 million.
Of course, he is a player with a high name value, but it is a sum that Korea cannot give. Other mercenaries also have a large difference in amount. NC offered Eric Peddy the best terms, but it was not competitive with the United States or Japan in the first place.
“We are doing our best. We have dispatched local scouts and are currently contacting listed players,” KIA general manager Shim Jae-hak said. Finally, he said, “We have made an offer to the mercenary pitcher we want. We are waiting for the result.”
KIA has placed Panoni on hold for now. And getting a replacement for Sanchez is the top priority. If both can find a better mercenary pitcher than Panoni, then so goes.
If not, one has no choice but to go to Panoni. This means that renewing Panoni’s contract is also an option. Still, only ‘negotiations’ are being made. What will happen to KIA’s mercenaries in 2024? The waiting time is getting longer and longer.