In February, all 10 clubs in the KBO League are holding overseas spring camps. Players who were not included in the 1st team camp are sweating in the 2nd team camp. However, there are players who are not able to attend the club’s camp and are training individually. They are unsigned players.

Jeong Chan-heon (33), Kang Ri-ho (33, former name Kang Yun-gu), Kwon Hee-dong (33), and Lee Myung-gi (36) are still missing free agents. Pitcher Jeong Chan-heon opened the way for the Kiwoom club to find a new path by revealing its recent sign-and-trade policy. Kang Ri-ho is the news that he is trying to advance to the Taiwanese League after demanding the cancellation of the suspension after one year from the original club Lotte.

NC told Kwon Hee-dong and Lee Myung-gi, who applied for FA, that they had no intention of negotiating contracts. Instead, if another team wants to sign and trade, they are in a position to respond. Kwon Hee-dong is B grade and Lee Myeong-gi is C grade. In the FA rating system, Class B must hand over 100% of the previous year’s annual salary or 200% of the previous year’s annual salary to one person other than 25 protected players. Class C only requires compensation of 150% of the previous year’s annual salary without compensation players.

If Kwon Hee-dong (last year’s annual salary of 110 million won) is recruited, even if he signs and trades as a compensation player, there is a burden of giving up a promising player in return. I don’t think NC will accept it only as compensation and not give it away. Lee Myung-gi (last year’s annual salary of 175 million won) can be taken if he pays NC with 262.5 million won, 150% of his annual salary, without a compensation player.

However, until now, there has been no club that signed and traded Kwon Hee-dong or took Lee Myeong-gi to NC only by paying compensation. Most teams have completed their plans for this season.

An official from the KBO League wondered, “Will NC not even think about a one-year contract with the two players?” If there is no place to go, is it possible to have a one-year contract with the original club?   

Kwon Hee-dong is a right-handed hitter with a career record of 81 home runs. At the time of NC’s first win in 2020, he had a batting average of 2.6, 12 home runs, 50 RBIs, and an OPS of .789 in 123 games. Kwon Hee-dong, who returned in May of last year after being suspended from a business trip in July 2021 for violating COVID-19 quarantine, was sluggish with a batting average of 2.27 (54 hits in 238 at bats), 5 home runs, 22 RBIs, OPS .654 in 82 games last year. .

Lee Myung-ki, who returned from a suspension together, is a left-handed hitter with a career batting average of over 30% (.307). From 2017 to 2020, he recorded more than 130 hits for 4 consecutive years, and in 2020, he played an active role with 3.6 hits (146 hits in 477 at-bats). After returning last year, he recorded a batting average of 2.6 (78 hits in 300 at-bats) and 23 RBIs and an OPS of .648 in 94 games.

NC is taking a cold stance towards the two players. When asked about the current situation of the two players as they left spring camp, NC coach Kang In-kwon said, “The club has a policy… ”I couldn’t say anything. 안전놀이터

For the NC outfield, the starting and backup depths have been decided. Last year, there were Son Ah-seop and Park Kun-woo, who were recruited as free agents, and this year, a foreign hitter was recruited as outfielder Martin ($1 million). Kim Seong-wook, who has good defense, returned from the military service, and in the offseason, he recruited Futures League free agent Han Seok-hyun.

There are so many outfielders that we have to direct traffic. Son Ah-seop is in a position to play as a designated hitter. Manager Kang In-kwon said, “I think it would be better to use Martin as a left fielder. As for the center fielder, there is Han Seok-hyun and Kim Seong-wook,” he said. If Park Kun-woo, who has good defense, plays right field, Son Ah-seop is the designated hitter.

There is no room for Lee Myung-gi and Kwon Hee-dong. What if he hadn’t declared free agency? An NC official said, “If so, you might have thought differently about signing Han Seok-hyun, a futures league free agent. As the two players applied for free agency, assuming a situation where they did not return to the team, they recruited players and now the composition of the players is over.” 

Clubs may reach out to free agents Mia if they are injured in spring camp or if their shortcomings are revealed during exhibition games. The two players must also be prepared to wait for a long time until after the opening.