6 Teams Interested in Park Chan-ho
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
Free agent pitcher Park Chan-ho was not offered salary arbitration b the Philadelphia Phillies.
But the 36-year-old South Korean has a reason to hold his head high, as according to his agent, six teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) have shown interest in him.
"I talked with my agent yesterday and (he said) six teams are currently interested in me,'' Park said on his Web site Thursday.
"I have not been offered in detail, but I expect to see more specific terms in next week's winter meeting."
The defending National League (NL) champion Phillies refused to offer arbitration Wednesday, afraid to award him a major salary increase.
The move means anyone can sign the right-hander without losing a compensatory draft pick until next Wednesday morning.
Park was satisfied that he was still an attention getter in the free-agent market.
"This time last year, Philadelphia just contacted me, so I could easily make up my mind to join the Phillies. But as there are six teams (that have interest in me), I am happily deciding on now,'' he said.
"Among six, there are three teams for which I (would) like to pitch.''
When Park returned to Korea last month, he talked about the sort of team that he would like to play for next season.
"I put priority on a team which has a good atmosphere, gives me a starter role and can advance to the World Series," he said.
In addition, he said that he had hopes of throwing for prestigious clubs, such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox or St. Louis Cardinals, in a lecture held at Seoul National University last month.