The LG Twins now have a major leaguer. Top closer Woo-seok Ko joined the San Diego Padres via post. It’s a two-year, $4.5 million deal with a mutual option for 2026.

It’s been 29 years since LG won a championship and produced a major leaguer. But the celebrations are short-lived. They don’t have a 40-save closer. That’s a big minus for the team. Two straight Korean Series losses are a red flag.

A key factor on the mound for LG in winning the 2023 title was a strong bullpen. LG had a weak starting lineup in Korea, but the back end was strong with a beehive bullpen of Kim Jin-sung, Ham Deok-joo, Jung Woo-young, Baek Seung-hyun, Yoo Young-chan, Park Myung-geun, Lee Woo-chan, and Choi Dong-hwan, backed up by top closer Go Woo-seok. Go suffered a neck injury at the WBC and a back injury during the season, which limited him to just 44 games with a 3-8 record, 15 saves, and a 3.68 ERA. Still, LG was able to hold on because of Ko Woo-seok. 카지노사이트 He finished the 2022 season with 42 saves. If he didn’t go to the majors this season and stayed with LG and prepared well for the season, he could easily have 40+ saves.

LG no longer has Go Woo-seok. They need to find a new closer.

The difference between a team with a solid closer and a team without is huge. When the ninth inning is shaky, the whole game is shaky, and the whole season is shaky.

The lack of a closer has led to speculation that LG might enter the free agent market. Although Kim Jae-yoon moved to the Samsung Lions, the team still hasn’t signed any closers, including Oh Seung-hwan and Im Chang-min. Both are Grade C, so there are no compensation players.

However, LG was still not willing to open the door to the free agent market. “We’re not interested in signing outside free agents at all,” LG general manager Cha Myung-seok said, adding, “The manager will decide the closer.”

LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop has identified Yoo Young-chan

Who pitched well in the Korean Series, as a possible new closer if Go Woo-seok goes to the major leagues. Yoo, who was drafted by LG with the 43rd overall pick in the 2020 second round after graduating from Bae Myung-go-Keonkuk University, made the first team for the first time last year and earned a spot in the closer’s rotation. In 67 games, he posted a 6-3 record, one save, 12 holds and a 3.44 ERA. He showed promise as a closer in the Korean Series. He pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in Game 2 on Nov. 8, allowing no hits and striking out two to help the team come from behind, and then pitched two innings of scoreless relief in Game 3 on Nov. 10, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out two. In Game 5 on the 13th, he pitched 1⅔ innings of two-hit ball with two strikeouts and one run, and in Game 3 of the Korean Series, he pitched six innings of three-hit ball with one run. Aside from the Korean Series MVP at the time, Yoon said that he would pick his own “Acha Award” and give it to Park Dong-won and Yoo Young-chan. It was natural to pick Park Dong-won, who hit the game-winning home run in the second game, but Yoo Young-chan’s pitching was also amazing, 카지노사이트 순위 so Yeom chose two players and raised the prize to 20 million won, giving each of them 10 million won.

Due to the sudden transfer of Ko Woo-seok, LG suddenly had to find a new closer.

Luckily, they had a good bullpen last year and were able to find a candidate in Yoo Young-chan, who pitched in the extreme conditions of the Korean Series.

Can they win back-to-back Korean Series without Ko Woo-seok? It’s 2024, a challenging year for Yeom and LG.