By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
With his hopes of reviving his Major League Baseball (MLB) career hanging by a thread, Tampa Bay Devil Rays starter Seo Jae-weong is reportedly turning his eyes toward his home country.
The Thursday edition of the vernacular daily Sports Hankook quoted an anonymous executive of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, which owns the KIA Tigers, to report Seo is close to signing a 2 billion won ($2.2 million) deal with the Tigers.
``We first contacted Seo a month ago and have got a verbal commitment from him for his return to Korea,'' the executive said. ``A contract offer has not been written as of yet, but he will get about 2 billion won, which is about 500 million won more than what Choi Hee-seop got last year.''
When asked about the report, Tigers general manager Kim Jo-ho denied that the team has had official talks with Seo. However, Kim said he doesn't know whether the ownership had contacted Seo without notifying the front office.
``We have been interested in Seo, and we would love to have him if the conditions are right,'' Kim said. ``However, the team hasn't offered him a contract of any sort.
``I have no idea about the 2 billion won offer, never heard of it. But the Hyundai-KIA Group is not in a financial state to spend much on the baseball team, and I doubt that the team will have enough resources to spend 2 billion won on one player.''
Seo, who began his American career with the New York Mets in 1998, got his cup of coffee in the majors in 2002, but posted inconsistent numbers throughout his five-year career, going 28-40 with a 4.60 ERA. He showed flashes of promise with the Mets in the 2003 season, going 9-12 with a respectable 3.82 ERA, but since then hitters have adjusted to his lack of a go-to pitch, his slow and straight fastball, and habit of driving up pitch counts by nibbling at the corners.
Seo went 3-4 with an 8.13 ERA this season for the Devil Rays, before being demoted to the minors.
Seo, currently with a Triple-A affiliate of the Devil Rays, is not the first former Major Leaguer the Tigers have set their eyes on. The Gwangju-based club last year signed Choi Hee-seop, another ex-Devil Ray, to a 1.5 billion won deal, although the hard swinging first baseman did little to prevent the Tigers from finishing in last place in the regular season.