Kim Kwang-hyun, who finished his contract with St. Louis, will play next year.
If you want to stay in the U.S or come back to Korea, you can weigh… What’s Kim Kwang Hyun’s choice?
With Kim Kwang-hyun’s contract with the St. Louis Cardinals over, his future career has emerged as a new concern.
St. Louis was eliminated by losing 1-3 to the National League wild card game against the LA Dodgers in the 2021 U.S. Major League Baseball postseason on the 7th (Korea Standard Time), and Kim Kwang-hyun failed to take the mound and watched his team lose.
2 years with St. Louis, who experienced both success and frustration.
As a result, St. Louis’ two-year contract with Kim Kwang-hyun ended this season. Now, Kim Kwang-hyun has to look for other clubs in the Major League or return to Korea and think about two options: joining SSG Landers.
Kim Kwang-hyun, who advanced to the Major League with a ransom of $8 million (about 9.2 billion won) for two years with St. Louis, recorded three wins and no losses last season and an average ERA of 1.62.
At the beginning of the season, he played as a finishing pitcher, but as other pitchers were injured one after another, he took the starting pitcher position he wanted and performed better than expected. Thanks to that, he also enjoyed the honor of starting Game 1 of St. Louis’ postseason.
However, this season, the second and last year of the contract, the situation has changed completely. In July, he was aiming for the pitcher of the month with a winning streak, but in the second half, he struggled as his ball power fell.
Even if he started, he was often substituted early if he was shaken a little, and St. Louis, whose trust in Kim Kwang-hyun eventually subsided at the end of the season, entrusted him with an intermediate pitching, not a finishing pitcher.
Kim Kwang-hyun, who left seven wins, seven losses, and a 3.45 ERA between the starting pitcher and the bullpen this season, had to finish the final game bitterly as he failed to get a chance to take the mound in the wild card game where St. Louis’ fate is at stake.
Kim Kwang Hyun, when you return to Korea, you have to wear SSG uniform no matter what.
Earlier, Kim Kwang-hyun entered the U.S. through a posting system (private competitive bidding) with the permission of his original team SSG, not his free agent status. As a result, if Kim Kwang-hyun returns to the Korean stage, he will have no choice but to join SSG unconditionally.
Since Kim Kwang-hyun left, he has been ranked 9th, the lowest-ranked player last season, and SSG, which is struggling for the postseason’s “tuck-up” this season, hopes Kim Kwang-hyun will return and lead the starting lineup.
SSG is making a hot investment in strengthening its power by “surprise recruitment” of Choo Shin-soo, who played in the Major League this season as well. Moreover, if franchise star Kim Kwang-hyun returns, he will be welcomed with open arms.
Of course, if St. Louis proposes Kim Kwang-hyun to renew his contract or other major league clubs start recruiting him, he may remain in the U.S. next year. Although he has been in various positions on the Major League stage for two years, he has gained experience, and there is also a scarcity of being a left-handed pitcher.
However, even if a new proposal is received, it is highly likely to be a short-term contract. There is virtually no Major League club to offer a multi-year contract to Kim Kwang-hyun, who will turn 34 next year and has been on the injured list several times this season and has questioned his durability 토토추천
If Kim Kwang-hyun wants a stable multi-year contract, returning to SSG is realistic. Attention is focusing on what uniform Kim Kwang-hyun, who is at the crossroads of choice, will wear next year and take the mound.