[KBO Story] Make your career valuable in Korea, offering the best opportunity for big leaguers to stay tuned for the next season.

Three months has passed since the MLB declared indefinite suspension of the league due to rapidly spreading COVID-19 across the states, yet the players seem to have no interest in returning to the field. The tension between the players union and the association gets heightened as MLB team managers requested drastic salary cut of players because of[for] falling profits. More than a thousand of players have already been released from the Minor and Triple A leagues, and most of MLB players are anticipated to receive less than one-third of their salary even if the league resumes with a half number of games in late summer or early fall. The situation for those who were cut from rosters after the last season is even worse as the Major League clubs have declined to offer new contracts for them. Furthermore, future free-agent players after this year have lost their opportunities to demonstrate their value and potential to other teams so that they could win a huge, multiyear contract. The unemployed big leaguers are urgent in playing on the field, and now few of them consider taking flight to South Korea, looking for a jackpot.

 

The MLB players union rejected several proposals of the administration to start the shortened season in late summer.

 

Last week, Kiwoom Heroes announced acquisition of the 2016 National League All-Star Addison Russell with whom most of MLB fans are familiar as a young infielder hitting a grand slam in the sixth game of 2016 world series and winning the championship. While many expected him to become a rising franchise baseball star of Chicago, his records had declined every year since the championship and eventually made him disappear from the roster in most of the 2018 and 2019 season games. The Cups released him as a free agent on last December, yet no other teams offered him a new contract before Kiwoom did. The Heroes are ranked at 4th on June 21 Sunday, and had been the only club without the service of import batter since early May. Russell is replacing Taylor Motter, who was released on May 30 after batting just .114 in 10 games. In the announcement, the Heroes general manager Kim Chi-hyun said, “He’s a versatile player who excels in every aspect of the game, whether it’s hitting, fielding, or base running.” Kiwoom could afford only tenth of the salary that Cups gave to Russell last year, but the 26-year-old shortstop was more desperate to continue playing baseball and get prepared for the free-agent in next year.

 

Addison Russell, a foremr the Cups shortstop, signed the contract with Kiwoom Heroes.

Imported players take considerable part in team’s lineup in the KBO league, so some of teams are considering changing imports suffering serious injuries or falling short of team’s expectation. The biggest interruption of importing the big leaguers was their enormous salaries that KBO market would never afford, but some players showed willing to get pay cut if they could keep on playing in any country. Korean baseball league has received a favorable evaluation from American players as the clubs own fine facilities with top-grade coaches, the average level of players are comparable to back up players of the Major League, and fervent crowd present one and only basketball experience. In addition, Eric Thames and Merrill Kelly, who had played in KBO three years, made reentrance into the Major League based on what they harvested from the Korean league. Both players are playing in Washington and Arizona respectively as key players. These success stories of former KBO imports inspired many Minor leaguers or former Major leaguers to knock on the doors of Korean clubs.

 

The former KBO imports Eric Thames(L) and Merrill Kelly(R) are evaluated as successful cases of re-imports from the KBO to the Major League.

 

After the former MLB All-Star signed up the contract, Korean baseball fans expect to have another Major League star in their teams. Many sports agencies have approached the KBO on selling their unemployed players, including Yasiel Puig and Matt Harvey. Korean baseball fans did not believe this news at first, yet they began to take it seriously when Kiwoom Heroes later told news medias that they were in touch with Puig before signing the contract with Russell. Puig has been already a famous star in Korea among MLB fans as a former teammate of Ryu Hyun-jin in the Dodgers. Matt Harvey had played in the Major League since 2012, and he was a contender of Cy Young award in 2014 but finished the race by 4th. The fact that two current big leaguers are sincerely looking for their positions in KBO teams was enough to make Korean fans excited since the most of imports coming to the KBO had been from lower leagues or had past their prime period.

 

Regardless of sports and leagues, many players are forced to stay in their home without proper exercise and organized training. Too long vacation may lead to inadequate physical state for them when the stadiums reopen. It would cause injuries in high possibility, which is one of reasons that players refuse to start this season, and put them on a disadvantageous seat in the negotiating table. The KBO welcomes those excellent players in desperate situation, but the available seats are strictly limited as many imports have already proved that the teams made the right choice. Who is going to be the next Russell?

 

 

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Yoo Jee ho, KBO's Kiwoom Heroes sign ex-MLB All-Star Addison Russell. Yonhap News Agency, June 20, 2020

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200620001700315

KBO's Kiwoom Heroes sign ex-MLB All-Star Addison Russell | Yonhap News Agency

 

Deesha Thosar, Ex-Met Matt Harvey is receiving interest from Korean teams for potential comeback in KBO. New York Daily News, June 05, 2020

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-matt-harvey-korean-baseball-kbo-20200605-m2mpkxll6bc4fj5bevbg7cleqm-story.html

Ex-Met Matt Harvey is receiving interest from Korean teams for potential comeback in KBO