Участник:"Uta infielders"

Lotte made a one-on-one trade with the LG Twins on Tuesday. It gave up right-handed sidearm Woo Kang-hoon (22) who threw 150 kilometers and recruited right-handed infielder Son Ho-young (30), a right-handed batter.

Lotte needed a right-handed infielder. Manager Kim Tae-hyung consistently stressed the need for a right-handed infielder. Most of the existing infielders, including Noh Jin-hyuk, Park Seung-wook, and Lee Hak-joo, were left-handed hitters. In addition, Choi Hang was recruited through the second draft.

An Chi-hong became a free agent and moved to Hanwha, creating a gap in the right-handed infielders. There was Han Dong-hee, a big gun infielder and an off-season "Kang Jung-ho School," but he was scheduled to join the Standing Committee in June. In terms of career, joining the Standing Committee was actually a set step. There was no choice but to prepare for An Chi-hong's departure and Han Dong-hee's absence.

Manager Kim and Lotte showed interest in Kim from the beginning of the FA market, and eventually signed Kim Min-seong right before the departure of the spring camp. They gave up right-handed infielder Kim Min-soo as a substitute. The team has become a team that considers the future but needs to consider the present more than the future. The fact that Kim Tae-hyung was hired as a three-year contract itself meant that the team would seek performance during this period of time.

However, Han Dong-hee was injured. After two exhibition games, he left the entire team due to ruptured intraperitoneal muscles. Initially, the rehabilitation period was expected to take about four to six weeks. It was not certain how many games he would be able to play before joining the military on June 10. "I think I will check it again in mid-April. If I check it in mid-April and say it's okay, I think I will move from then on and start training properly in May," manager Kim Tae-hyung said on Tuesday. The intention was to consider Han Dong-hee as a force that was virtually absent.

There were right-handed hitters including Kim Min-sung and Oh Sun-jin who had to replace Han Dong-hee, and Lee Ju-chan, whom Han noted during the closing camp, but both offense and defense left some regrets. The problem is that all the remaining infielders are left-handed hitters. Han's injury deepened the thirst for right-handed hitters.

The trade eventually led to Son Ho-young being traded. Son Ho-young recorded a career-high 96 games batting average of .25 (40 hits in 160 at-bats) with four homers and 23 RBIs. He graduated from Pyeongchon Middle School and Chunghun High School, signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs in 2014, and after being released from the team, he was drafted 23rd in the second round, third round of the rookie draft in 2020. He always had high expectations, but failed to become a regular member as his injury hampered him.

The Lotte club said, "We pushed for this trade to strengthen the depth of right-handed infielders with batting capabilities," adding, "We expect that the team will be able to compete for the starting lineup of the infield, and that all of the big players, pinch runners, and pinch hitters will be highly utilized as possible resources."

The Lotte infielders have begun their reorganization in earnest. Their goal of reinforcing shortstop resources and recruiting right-handed infielders has been achieved to some extent.

To put it bluntly, however, Lotte's power is still incomplete. The imbalance of pitchers and batters is severe. The pitching staff is relatively highly regarded and has ample resources. However, the infield staff is incomplete rather than the fielders, especially the outfielders. The card that Lotte gave up for this trade was ultimately right Kang-hoon, an unfinished sidearm who threw fastballs.

Kim Tae-hyung, the manager of the team, might want to build more complete capabilities. Trade is the only option at the moment. And there is a possibility that the current trade and reorganization process will lead to large-scale trade where many players and key players come and go.

Lotte's reinforcement of its power may not be the end. It has only one win since the opening of the four consecutive regular seasons, and the pace itself is slow. How can Lotte reinforce its power and reorganize itself into a more perfect team. 먹튀검증