The Player We Want to Bring In Via Trade Is Seo Tae-woong

Kim Jin-woong, the manager, felt as if he'd been struck hard on the back of the head with a hammer.

Seo Tae-woong! Right, why hadn't I thought of that? Tae-woong mentioned last time that the Eagles' scout team had come down to the second team when he was starting there.

There had been reports from the second team. They'd come fully equipped, so it didn't seem like they were just there to observe. It was just that with the team's recent slump, he'd been racking his brain every second of the day—how to arrange tomorrow's lineup, who to place where for better defense stability—and hadn't had a moment to think about it.

What should I do? What's the best choice here?

The five-man rotation was running smoothly right now, but it couldn't last the whole season. Their ace, Fairband, was undeniably the team's pillar, but even last year, he'd pitched steadily at this pace only to suddenly struggle with nagging injuries and poor conditioning. Napert, the number two starter, had been performing like a solid number two since returning from injury, but at 35 years old (born in '81), age was the issue. He was sure to run out of gas come summer.

Number three and four starters Gu Young-pyo and Jo Kwon were young, so slumps could hit unpredictably. And Kwon Min-cheol, the current number five, was heading into his mid-30s with no experience as a full-time starter over a full season.

Kim Jin-woong planned to keep the current rotation intact and slot ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Seo Tae-woong into the bullpen, then shift him to starting if a spot opened up later. Besides, the kid had just turned 20, and he could see the potential of a big-league pitcher in him.

Trading away one promising pitcher for one or even two decent players feels like too much of a loss. What a shame.

Regretfully, Kim Jin-woong decided to turn down Eagles manager Han Young-deok's trade proposal.

"Seo Tae-woong might be a bit tricky.... I was honestly expecting one of the three guys we have in the first team right now. Sorry about that. If you change your mind later, give me a call. I'll hang up first."

It was late at night, so he figured it was best to wrap up quickly and said his goodbyes first.

That's when Han Young-deok boldly played his trump card.

Kim Jin-woong froze, holding his breath for a moment.

A 1-for-3 trade? They're offering three players?

Kim Jin-woong's finger, hovering over the end call button, stopped dead.

If we give up Tae-woong and get three in return...

The Wiz had gaping holes everywhere except starting pitching and catching.

Three players could plug those big gaps pretty well.

His firm resolve began to waver again. But there was no need to decide right then.

"Han, can you give me a little time to think it over?"

Han Young-deok didn't sound panicked; he figured a trade wouldn't go down over one phone call anyway.

"How about tomorrow night at this time? If you give me until then, I promise I won't drag my feet."

After hanging up, the tension drained from Kim Jin-woong all at once, leaving him so exhausted he skipped brushing his teeth and collapsed into bed.

"GM, lunch today? Got something to discuss about a trade."

Mondays were the one day of rest for managers and GMs. At the Wiz, they didn't contact each other for work unless it was a major incident. Yet Kim Jin-woong called Im Jong-tak first thing in the morning to set up lunch.

As soon as they met, before even sitting, he laid out Han Young-deok's proposal from last night.

Im needed time to think too; he stayed silent until the food arrived. Kim Jin-woong sat across from him, chugging ice water without a word.

Yeah... this has to be a tough call for the GM too.

The Wiz had done plenty of trades since inception. Some succeeded, but more failed. The biggest flop was eerily similar to this one with Seo Tae-woong.

Sending Se-young to the Giants hurt bad. We knew he'd grow, but no one imagined he'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hit 10 wins so fast...

Could Im really send Tae-woong to the Eagles? The manager had final say on trades, but Kim Jin-woong didn't want to butt heads with the front office head.

As he finished his second glass of water, Im finally spoke.

"Manager, what's your take? I'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go with whatever you decide."

Just as Kim respected Im's view, Im did the same. Kim, who'd agonized during the drive over, said:

"Let's do it—this trade. With three players coming in, we might not win it all, but playoffs are definitely in reach."

"Any specific players in mind?"

"One outfielder solid on both D and hitting anywhere in the OF, a shortstop better on defense than offense, and a good bullpen arm."

Im pulled out his ever-present tablet from his bag.

"Manager, what about this guy?"

Who else but a workaholic? With steaming food in front of him, the GM dove into business. Kim said:

"GM, eat first. We've got until tonight—plenty of time."

"Ah, right. My bad. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dig in. Their kimchi jjigae is killer."

"Yeah, you too—grab your spoon before it gets cold."

After eating, they headed not home but to Kim Jin-woong's office at Wiz Park. They'd prepped multiple contingency plans in case Han rejected them.

The meeting dragged into the evening; they skipped going out for dinner and ordered jjajangmyeon instead.

It wrapped up an hour before Han's deadline.

"GM, calling Han Young-deok now."

"Go for it, Manager."

Before dialing, Kim double-checked the densely scribbled notes.

Plan A had stars galore on both sides. From A to H—the twentieth option. Just eyeing the combos Wiz needed made his head throb.

Hopefully we don't go all the way to H?

It was an emergency backup, but reaching it would spell trouble too.

"Yeah, Han. We've decided—okay to spit it out now?"

"The players we want: Oh Seon-jun, Choi Jin-hyung, and Park Jun-hong."

The line went quiet for a beat.

Yeah, they'll reject these three... GM and I both thought it was a stretch.

He scratched out Plan A with his pen while waiting, dotting the names in Plan B below.

Impatient, Kim spoke first.

"If any don't work, name them upfront? I can adjust right away..."

Before he finished, Han's booming voice cut through.

"Huh... really? All three are good?"

Han regretted it too, but accepted on the spot. As he said, hoarding everyone meant no trades ever.

Kim Jin-woong pumped his fist at Im across the desk and continued.

"Thanks for seeing it our way, Han—we really appreciate it. When's the announcement?"

"We're good anytime—your call."

With minds aligned, their tones were far brighter than the call's start.

"Perfect. Gives each team time to prep materials."

"Consideration? You're the one compromising big. Next time we meet, lunch on me—I insist."

"Thanks. Head on in."

Hanging up, Kim and Im exchanged grins.

"Great work, Manager."

"All in a day's. This is how Wiz climbs back up."

In the manager's office at Hana Eagles Stadium in Daejeon—the only light on as night fully fell.

Thud.

Han Young-deok set his smartphone down and stretched with relief.

"Whew, wrapped up quick without dragging."

He rose and approached the player roster board dominating one wall.

"Sending them off still stings..."

The names heading to Suwon tomorrow caught his eye.

Excluding three years coaching for the Bears, he'd never left the team. From trainee in '87 to retirement as player in 2004, and now as Eagles manager, he'd always been with them.

"Adapting to a new team won't be easy... Sorry to send you like this."

Han picked up the whiteboard eraser.