15 KBO players declare free agency

By Baek Byung-yeul

Kim Kwang-hyun

Yang Hyeon-jong

The top flight Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced the list of players who declared free agency, Thursday. It remains to be seen who will be the crown jewel in the upcoming hot stove league negotiations.

Among 18 players eligible for free agency, 15 announced they will exercise this option. They are Lee Hyun-seun, Kim Jae-ho and Lee Won-seok of the Doosan Bears; Bong Jung-keun, Woo Kyu-min and Jeong Seong-hoon of the LG Twins; Yang Hyeon-jong and Na Ji-wan of the Kia Tigers; Cha Woo-chan and Choi Hyung-woo of the Samsung Lions; Kim Kwang-hyun of the SK Wyverns; Hwang Jae-gyun of the Lotte Giants; and Lee Jin-young of the KT Wiz.

The biggest difference this offseason from previous seasons is those free agents can start negotiations with any baseball club including overseas teams starting from Friday while there had been a preliminary negation period between free agents and their former teams until last season.

This year’s free agent market will be highlighted by players who are attempting to play in the Major Leagues (MLB) as MLB requested status checks on two KBO southpaws ― Kim Kwang-hyun and Cha Woo-chan.

The KBO said MLB tendered status checks on them Tuesday and added they informed the two they will be eligible for free agency starting Friday. The status check is a formal administrative step before a MLB club can sign KBO players.

This will be the second attempt for Kim, who had 11 wins and eight losses with an ERA of 3.88 this season. The 28-year-old already sought to join a MLB team after the 2014 season but had to return as he was unable to reach an agreement on a contract.

Playing for the Wyverns for 10 seasons, Kim has recorded 108 wins and 63 losses in 1347.1 innings. Known for his sharp slider, he was limited to 137 innings due to an elbow issue this past season.

Cha appears not to have flashy stats in his career ― 70 wins and 48 losses with a 4.44 ERA in 1068.1 innings as the 29-year-old has split his career in the starting rotation and the bullpen while playing for the Lions for 11 seasons.

He played as a starting pitcher this year and recorded 12 wins and six losses with an ERA of 4.73 in 152.1 innings.

Yang Hyeon-jong of the Tigers also watches for a chance to play overseas. The 28-year-old already experienced the posting process in 2014 but his attempt ended fruitlessly as the Tigers refused to accept the winning bid. Throwing 200.1 innings this season, Yang recorded 10 wins and 12 losses with a 3.68 ERA.

Hwang Jae-gyun of the Giants, who has publicly declared his bid to play in MLB, is seeking his second chance. The 29-year-old third baseman was posted last year but failed to draw any bid from a Major League team. Gnashing his teeth, he posted his career high record this season, batting .335 with 27 home runs, 113 RBIs, 97 runs and 25 stolen bases.

Other than players who aim to play in MLB, the Lions outfielder Choi will probably be the most favored by most MLB teams. The 33-year-old posted a career-high batting average of .376 with 31 home runs, 144 RBIs and 99 runs this season.