Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho has a ‘bitter smile’ on his face. It’s been nearly a month since Hanwha released Brian O’Grady (31). However, there is still no news of a new outfielder.
Hanwha has already been in contact with several players, but the team has had some difficulty with their sudden call-ups to the major league roster.
“Even yesterday (Dec. 12), they told me that the 먹튀검증 player we were trying to sign was called up to the major leagues,” Choi Won-ho said with a bitter smile, “I can’t even tell you how many players there are anymore,” he added.
Hanwha obviously wants to bring in good players, but it’s not easy. “It’s harder than I thought. We only have about $500,000 to offer now. “It’s hard to bring in a good player when you can’t go over that amount,” Choi Won-ho said.
According to KBO regulations, “The maximum expenditure for signing a new foreign player after the opening day of the regular season is limited to a maximum of US$100,000 per month of the remaining contract period, including salary, signing fee, incentives, and transfer fee. June is already almost over, so if Hanwha were to sign a new foreign hitter right now, it would have to cover salary, signing bonus, incentives, and transfer fees at a maximum of $500,000 to just over $500,000.
Choi Won-ho continued, “Also, if they come in the middle of the season and are put on hold, they can’t go to another team in Korea. That’s why agents prefer to go to Japan. Some players want to sign long-term contracts because there is no holdover right in Japan. But we can’t just blindly sign long-term contracts,” he said of the practical difficulties.
Hanwha’s frustration continues as the players they targeted are repeatedly called up to the major leagues. Coach Choi Won-ho laughed and said, “We have sent a lot of players to the major leagues,” but the team is still in last place, so they are desperate to bring in foreign batters as soon as possible to revitalize the team. Hanwha requested O’Grady’s waiver from the KBO on March 31.