Competition for finish again with Jeong Cheol-won

Professional baseball free agent (FA) Hong Geon-hee completed negotiations with his original team, the Doosan Bears, under the condition of extending his contract by two years in accordance with the player's wishes after lengthy discussions. The bullpen, which was reorganized in the middle of last season, is also expected to be reorganized from scratch.

A Doosan official said about pitcher Hong Kun-hee's contract in a phone call with the Seoul Shinmun on the 26th, "The manager wanted to stay, and Hong Kun-hee knew this and participated in the negotiations, but there was a salary cap issue, so a compromise was found through the player option. “This process took a long time,” he explained. “Because he is a player who has contributed to the club, we included the option of staying at Doosan or receiving the market’s evaluation at our discretion after performing well over the next two years.”

The day before, Doosan signed a 2+2 year contract with free agent Hong Geon-hee for up to 2.45 billion won. The total amount of his first two-year contract is 950 million won, which includes 300 million won in signing bonus, 600 million won in annual salary, and 50 million won in incentives. After the contract is completed, a two-year option worth 1.5 billion won can be activated depending on the player's intention.

Hong Geon-hee said through the club, “I will continue to wear the Doosan uniform, but my mindset is new,” and “since I have waited a long time, my goal is to show a better performance on the mound.”

Hong Geon-hee, who joined the KIA Tigers with the 9th overall pick in the second round of the 2011 rookie draft, was traded for infielder Ryu Ji-hyuk during the 2020 season and joined Doosan. He went back and forth between the middle and the end at Doosan, leaving a record of 12 wins, 24 losses, 39 holds, 44 saves, and an ERA of 3.46 in 237 games over four seasons. Among the team's old pitchers over the past four years, the player with the most innings was Hong Geon-hee (254 and two-thirds innings). Hong Geon-hee recorded 1 win, 5 losses, 5 holds, 22 saves, and an earned run average of 3.06 in 64 games last season.

Attention is also drawn to Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop's bullpen plan for the new season, which boosted the game by making extensive mound adjustments in August of last year. Manager Lee replaced the closing pitcher from Hong Geon-hee to Jeong Cheol-won in mid-August last year. Hong Geon-hee, who played very well in the first half of the year with 3 losses, 1 hold, 20 saves, and an ERA of 2.31 in 36 games, was shaken in August and made a decision.

Regarding this, Coach Lee said, “It feels like Hong Geon-hee is feeling pressured, so we plan to have him pitch in the 7th or 8th inning.” He added, “If positions change frequently, players get confused and it is not good for the team atmosphere. “He plans to keep it until the end of the season,” he said.

Since September of last year, Hong Geon-hee has found stability with 1 win, 2 holds, and an ERA of 1.88 in 14 games. Jeong Cheol-won also seemed to adapt smoothly in September with 1 win, 7 saves, and ERA of 1.42 in 12 games, but struggled in October with 1 win, 2 losses, 1 save, and ERA of 5.68 in 5 games.

While a competition between Jeong Cheol-won and Hong Geon-hee is expected for the finishing position, Kim Taek-yeon, the second pick in the first round of the 2024 rookie draft, is also considered a candidate. Since Jo Woong-cheon, the new pitching coach, has been appointed, the competition begins from square one. At the club’s founding ceremony on the 15th, Manager Seung-yeop Lee said, “We are communicating with Coach Cho about bullpen positions. “We will make a decision after holding spring camp and exhibition games,” he emphasized.

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