The LG Twins, who won their first pennant in 29 years, are looking to sign a free agent, and Ham Deok-ju, 28, is likely to be the first to announce a deal.
LG has three players on the free agent market this offseason: Im Chan-gyu, Ham Deok-ju, and Kim Min-sung. Of these, Oh Ji-hwan agreed to a multi-year contract totaling 12.4 billion won for six years starting next season before this season, but he did not sign the contract and applied for free agency for the second round of the draft, so Im Chan-gyu, Ham Deok-joo, and Kim Min-sung are the three actual free agents. LG is negotiating with all three with the intention of signing them.
LG general manager Cha Myung-seok said, “We talked with Ham Deok-ju’s agent, Kim Dong-wook, even at his wedding,” adding, “We found a certain agreement. We also need to talk to the player, so we decided to wait.” This means that the negotiations with Ham Deok-ju are going well. “We have reached a certain point of agreement, but we are still discussing various proposals,” said Kim Dong-wook, adding that the negotiations have not progressed to the point of signing an immediate contract.
On Sept. 9, 토토사이트 Ham Deok-joo tied the knot with Joyan after two years of dating and went on a honeymoon in Hawaii, USA.
Ham was one of the main contributors to LG’s win this year.
He came to LG through a two-for-two trade with Yang Seok-hwan as a “championship hitter” in 2021, but was unable to play well due to injuries for two years, but he was healthy this season and made a big impact in the bullpen. He appeared in 57 games, posting a 4-0 record with four saves and 16 holds. He pitched 55⅔ innings with a 1.62 ERA, striking out 59 batters and walking only 22. He also served as a temporary closer when Go Woo-seok went down with an injury. After going down with elbow pain in late August, his recovery was slower than expected and he didn’t return for the regular season. However, he appeared in four games in the Korean Series, including Games 1, 2, 3, and 5, posting one win and a 2.70 ERA. In Game 2, he threw a scoreless eighth inning before Park Dong-won’s dramatic two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth gave him his first career Korean Series victory.
Ham will be essential for LG next season. Especially since Go Woo-seok is currently trying to make it to the major leagues as a post player. If Go Woo-seok leaves for the major leagues, there will be no immediate closers. It will be easier for LG to find a new closer if they have Kim Jin-seong or Ham Deok-ju, who have experience in the closer’s role. Depending on the situation, Ham Deok-ju could be the closer.
LG is lucky to have Ham Deok-ju as a B-grade closer.
Initially, it was expected that Ham Deok-ju, who earned $100 million in salary this year, would be a Class C player, but when the KBO released the list of free agents, many teams were shocked when he became a Class B player. This is because a C-class player only needs to be compensated without compensation, while a B-class player needs to be compensated with one compensation player, excluding the 25 protected players. For Ham Deok-ju, the C class is advantageous because many teams have to make an offer to raise his price, but for LG, the B class is more favorable to keep him.
LG had a bit of a surprise. On the 30th of last month, the Major League Baseball office did a background check on Ham Deok-ju. He doesn’t have a fastball, but he has a great changeup that hides the ball as much as possible, so major league teams were paying attention to him. Fortunately, Ham Deok-ju didn’t show much interest in the major leagues, so LG and Ham Deok-ju’s negotiations are going well.
After winning three championships (2015, 2016, and 2019) with Doosan, 바카라사이트 순위 which calls Jamsil home, Ham Deok-ju has had a tough time since moving to the neighboring LG in 2021. However, this season, he resurfaced as the main bullpen pitcher and won a championship with LG, got married and started a happy family, and now his free agency jackpot is coming. Ham Deok-ju will return from his honeymoon on the 18th.
