The SSG Landers ended the 2023 season in disappointment. It’s time to put that behind us and prepare for the new season. As the team begins to piece together its roster, attention turns to the backroom.
SSG ended their postseason run with a semi-playoff series elimination. SSG officials and players alike took a short break this past weekend. Starting on November 1, the players will split up for a wrap-up camp in Kagoshima, Japan, Incheon, and Ganghwa.
Now that the 2023 season is over, the team will begin planning for the next season. This week, SSG officials will begin discussing the roster and preparations for the Stobrig.
The main focus will be on free agent signings and whether or not the team needs to bolster its roster. SSG’s internal free agents this season are Kim Min-sik and Lee Jae-won. Both are catchers. Kim Min-sik is likely to declare his free agency.
Kim Min-sik has played the most games for the second straight season after returning to his home team SSG in 2022. He played 104 games in 2022 and 122 games this season. Kim is eligible for free agency for the first time since his professional debut.
Lee Jae-won, on the other hand, is not a free agent and is pondering whether to extend his contract. Last season, Lee played 105 games for the first team, but this season he has only made 27 appearances. His time in the second team was longer. His struggles in both the offense and defense have taken their toll. However, he is undoubtedly the most experienced veteran catcher on the team. Kim Won-hyung also used a three-catcher system in the postseason, including Lee Jae-won.
The question is, what is SSG’s strategic direction? Even if Lee Jae-won decides to extend his career instead of retiring, the team still needs to plan for the future. It’s not a season when catcher free agents are released all at once, like last year’s Yang-ji, Park Se-hyuk, and Park Dong-won, so outside transfusions are unlikely. There are no catchers available, or if there are, opposing teams won’t give them up easily. The only possibility was Kim Tae-gun, who was a preliminary free agent, but he signed a multi-year contract with the KIA Tigers.
SSG also has a big catcher prospect in Cho Hyung-woo. Cho has definitely improved this year from last year, his rookie season, but he needs more time before he can take over as the starting catcher.
In the end, SSG could be the team that needs free agent catcher Kim Min-sik the most at this point. However, the negotiation process and contract size will be key. SSG, the team with the highest salary in the league, is limited by the salary cap. As a result, the overall composition of next year’s roster could change the amount of money they can spend on free agents. 메이저놀이터
Finishing the regular season in third place after a disastrous second half was quite an accomplishment. Now it’s time to shake off the postseason disappointment and reclaim the glory of being a wire-to-wire championship team. Strategy and tactics. It’s time to put your front office skills to work.