Ko Woo-suk, who is coming out of the MLB FA market, LG has an alternative. He also saw the possibility in KS
USA Today Bob Nightingale, a U.S. media outlet, said Ko Woo-suk and Lee Jung-hoo will be posted at 8 a.m. Eastern time on Dec. 5. As a result, Ko can freely set up negotiation tables and sign contracts with 30 MLB teams. If he fails to sign a contract with the MLB club by the 4th of next month, the posting will automatically end. Ko will return to LG, his KBO league team, to negotiate his salary for the 2024 season. From LG's point of view, two cases should be put into LG's mind. In terms of team power, of course, it is better for Ko to remain in LG. Although he has suffered from ups and downs this year, no one can deny that Ko is the closing pitcher who throws the strongest ball in the KBO League. If he maintains his normal condition, he will be able to reproduce his performance with an ERA of 1.48 WHIP of 0.96 with 42 saves in the 2022 season. LG won the overall title not only in the regular season but also in the Korean Series by banking on its quality bullpen. The remaining of Ko Woo-suk can be seen as a green light for LG to lose two consecutive games. However, the team plans not to hold onto Ko Woo-suk. Cha Myung-seok, the team's general manager, said, "If the contract is signed with the MLB club within an acceptable capacity, I will send Ko to the top stage in a good mood. An annual salary for MLB is an opportunity to play. If a player pays more than 3 million U.S. dollars per year as an intermediate pitcher, he can consistently take the mound in the big league. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop also encouraged Ko Woo-suk who is challenging for the top spot in his dream. In doing so, he quickly decided on a lineup of closing pitchers to replace Ko. "If Woo-suk advances to the MLB next year, I am considering Baek Seung-hyun and Yoo Young-chan as the closing candidates," Yeom said. Baek Seung-hyun and Yoo Young-chan have become key players this year with manager Yeom Kyung-yeop's choice. Baek Seung-hyun is in his third year as a pitcher, and Yoo Young-chan has become a must-win group this year. Both of them speak fastballs in the mid to late 140km range, and their strength is power pitching with sliders. They are similar in that they use a splitter as their third pitch, but internal assessment is that Baek Seung-hyun is ahead in the slider and Yoo Young-chan is ahead in the splitter. Of course, not only ball power but also mental strength is important for a closing pitcher. However, both Baek and Yoo showed their best performance in KS, where extreme tension and water fights are taking place. Baek allowed 1.2 innings and Yoo scored 1 run in six innings in three KS games. Baek threw short throws at a critical moment, and Yoo perfectly performed multi-innings tasks. There are other options besides Baek Seung-hyeon and Yoo Young-chan. There are also Kim Jin-seong with a total of 38 saves, and Ham Deok-ju with a total of 59 saves, who is seeking a contract with the FA market. Still, he highly values Baek Seung-hyeon and Yoo Young-chan in terms of pitching power and potential for future development. He also considered that Jung Woo-young, who has posted eight saves overall, could be delayed due to surgery to remove bone fragments in his elbow. "We think this year is the starting point for the dynasty," Yeom said, revealing his goal for the following year. To that end, the formation of the mound is already underway.