By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Hardly anyone would believe a pouting sports star insisting that it's not all about the money. However, for Doosan Bears slugger Kim Dong-joo, you can take those words to the bank.
The 32-year-old third baseman turned down a four-year, 5 billion won ($5.3 million) deal from the Korean Series runner-up and instead accepted a one-year, 900 million won deal with the hopes of playing in Japan or the United States after the 2008 season.
Things couldn't have turned out better for the Bears, who are getting back a motivated, All-Star hitter on a short-term deal.
A long and expensive commitment to Kim would have been an enormous risk for the moderately spending Bears, as Kim may still have some quality years left at the plate, but lesser time remaining at third where his lumbering defense continues to produce shredded fingernails.
Even if it should prove as a one-and-out deal, re-signing Kim was a priority for the Bears, as it would have been impossible to replace their only legitimate power threat in a lineup full of contact hitters.
Now with Kim back to hit cleanup and the projected development of youngsters Ko Young-min, a second baseman with pop in his bat, and Choi Jun-seok, a bulky first baseman with a wild swing but out-of-the-park power, Bears manager Kim Kyung-moon is hoping for big things in 2008.
``Last year, we finished second in the regular season and advanced to the Korean Series. Finishing in the top four is not our goal anymore,'' said the skipper, after re-signing his star third baseman.
``I think there is a lot of room for the youngsters to grow, and our improved pitching depth will certainly help us down the stretch,'' he said.
Certainly, manager Kim couldn't have hoped for a better conclusion to the club's offseason that started with the departure of 22-game winner and season MVP Daniel Rios to Japan's Yakult Swallows.
It would be difficult to replace Rios' dominance on the mound, but Kim believes the team could make up for the loss in wins with a deeper starting lineup. It could be said that pitching depth is the biggest asset of the Bears, although the re-signing of Dong-joo is getting all the publicity.
Last week, the Bears signed former San Francisco Giants right-hander Kim Sun-woo to a 1.5 billion won deal ($1.6 million) deal and also inked lefty Gary Rath, who won 17 games for the Bears in 2004 before taking a leap to Japan, a la Rios, to a $230,000 contract.
Sun-woo, who mixes a 150kmph fastball with an above-average changeup, is counted for 10 to 12 wins, while Rath hopes that his 12-5 season with Taiwan's La New Bears will translate to success in Korea.
Sun-woo and Rath will likely pitch behind Matt Randel, who went 12-8 last season, in the starting rotation for the Bears. Lee Seung-hak, who went 7-1 with a 2.54 ERA last season, is also vying for the No.2 starter spot, as is veteran lefty Lee Hye-cheon, who missed most of last year due to injury.
Jung Jae-hoon, Lim Tae-hoon and Ku Ja-woon, the former bullpen closer who is returning from military duty, give the Bears one of the best bullpens in the league. The addition of flame-throwing rookie Jin Jacob may also give the team a lefty shutdown option in the seventh and eight innings.