Ko Woo-seok (25, LG Twins) has just five days to go before the end of the Major League posting negotiations. Not only Korea but also Japan were concerned, but the problem included “the end of the game.” Japan’s “Tokyo Sports” published an article titled “The Major League Challenge” by a Korean pitcher who announced his throwing to Shohei Otani (29, LA Dodgers) on the 29th. It is one week away.
Tokyo Sports said, “Negotiations between the LG Twins’ guardian god Ko Woo-seok, who is aiming to transfer to the Major League from the KBO League through the posting system, are struggling,” adding, “Go Woo-seok applied for an off-season major league posting with Lee Jung-hoo of Kiwoom Heroes called Ichiro of Korea.” Lee Jung-hoo has been confirmed to join the San Francisco Giants with a six-year, $113 million (about 146.8 billion won) contract, but Ko Woo-seok has not made progress.”
The paragraph introducing Ko once again mentioned the controversy over the Ohtani dune. “Go drew attention when he predicted the dune at the World Baseball Classic in March this year, saying, ‘If there is no place to throw it to Otani, I will throw it where it doesn’t hurt,'” Tokyo Sports said. “However, he left due to neck pain ahead of the finals, which significantly disappointed Korea. On top of that, he failed to contribute enough to his team’s victory with 44 games, three wins, eight losses and 15 saves due to his injuries during the regular season,” he explained with negative nuances.
Ko Woo-seok was embroiled in controversy in Japan in January when he jokingly said, “If there is no place to throw, I will hit where it doesn’t hurt.” Some Japanese media have since sarcastically called Ko Woo-seok a “pitcher who said he would hit Ohtani,” and Tokyo Sports has also brought up the controversy over Ohtani dune again over the imminent posting deadline for Ko. 슬롯머신
Tokyo Sports quoted the local media as saying, “Ko Woo-seok said he would not make a shameful contract as a representative of LG, but there is not much time left until the deadline on January 4 next year.” In Korea, he added, “If Ko Woo-seok, who made his name known to the Major League club through this posting, becomes eligible for FA a year later, negotiations will be more advantageous than now.”
The deadline for Ko Woo-seok’s contract, which has been freely negotiating with 30 major league teams since 8 a.m. on the 5th (U.S. Eastern Time), is 5 p.m. on January 3, 2024. He can become a big leaguer only when he signs a contract by 7 a.m. on January 4th in Korean time. With only five days left until the negotiation, it remains to be seen whether Ko Woo-seok will be able to achieve his dream of entering the U.S. dramatically.
