The Trade
Gwangju Pigeons are no fools either.
Trading A-grade assets doesn't happen easily.
The Magpies and the Pigeons exchanged players with flaws.
The Pigeons received an older, veteran player... while the Magpies got a young player who seemed to have mental issues on the surface but carried even bigger problems underneath...
Most trades involve players with flaws, and this one was no exception.
Trading an older veteran for a prospect meant selling the future to buy the present.
In that sense, the trade the Magpies made with the Pigeons was quite extreme.
'Hmph... Well, it could happen... We weren't planning to do anything reckless...'
The Pigeons had secured the future.
By locking in a local prospect, there would be no noise internally or externally about this trade.
'I guess I was too focused on my own thoughts. I should have considered the front office's perspective too...'
Here, it seemed like the player had to think hard, but Choi Seungtaek regretted not having anticipated these discussions.
By looking at trades and FA markets, you can see a team's thoughts and philosophy.
Is it a tanking season for rebuilding, a season for winning, or just a season where you go through the motions?
The Magpies, being a bottom-feeder team, probably aimed for a mediocre escape from the cellar, and Choi Seungtaek had planned to tank this season, but this deal was a bit too extreme.
Choi Seungtaek got a headache, so he decided to stop thinking about it and asked another question.
"Is there any other news?"
"Other news? Hmm... Should I say it's good news for you?"
The pitching coach stroked his chin.
"But I don't know if this is the right one."
'It's supposed to be good news for me, but the pitching coach doesn't think it's the right deal?'
Since the pitching coach, who usually showed a positive side, reacted this way, Choi Seungtaek felt a slight fear.
'There's only one good thing for me. The catcher is being traded.'
"Who among the catchers is being traded?"
"Right. Who do you think will go?"
"First, I'm a rookie, so I'm not the target."
"That's right."
"Jo Oosoo-senpai is basically a playing coach and is old, so no."
"Yeah."
The pitching coach nodded.
"Jung Kyungho-senpai or Gyeokpo-senpai... Kyungho-senpai has a serious injury, so he can't be traded, so it must be Gyeokpo-senpai?"
"Correct."
You can't put four catchers on the 1st team roster.
In that sense, sending one catcher isn't bad.
It's cleaning up the overcrowded catcher position.
'Is this bad? I don't know. In the end, who you bring in is important.'
"Do you know where he's going?"
"To the Seagulls."
"Ah..."
Choi Seungtaek immediately understood.
The Seagulls have a solid starting catcher, but their backup catcher is weak.
The previous backup catcher was a really good player, but he left the team to find a starting spot.
Now, several catchers are competing for the backup spot, but the Busan Seagulls have decided they can't find the backup catcher they want.
In the past, Choi Seungtaek also competed fiercely for that backup spot at the Seagulls but couldn't make it and had to continue in the minors.
"Then who are they trying to bring in...?"
"That's why I don't like it."
"You don't like who they're bringing in?"
"Song Chang-soo."
"Kuk."
Choi Seungtaek was startled.
Song Chang-soo
A journeyman from Sparrow's, a sidearm and three-quarter pitcher who bounced around various places as a mediocre bullpen resource, learned sidearm and three-quarter forms at Gangseo Turkeys and survived based on various pitch forms.
Currently the closer for the Busan Seagulls, and Choi Seungtaek knows Song Chang-soo from 2016 when he joined the Magpies as an FA.
Because of Han Geunseong's pick, Han Geunseong used Song Chang-soo harshly.
'Must be crazy.'
Choi Seungtaek was surprised by this pick.
Meaning a pitcher who joined the Magpies as FA in 2016 means a player who acquired FA eligibility in 2015 this year.
"No way, right? They're trading a pitcher who got FA this year? And sending Gyeokpo-senpai?"
The pitching coach's expression was sour.
"Right? I don't know either. What are the front office thinking. We are short on pitchers, but it's a bit excessive. Maybe the push came from above because our ranking is low compared to the investment?"
It's good to give up an overcrowded position like catcher and receive a pitcher in a short position.
The problem is Song Chang-soo isn't that young either, born in 1981.
'Is this right? What are they thinking?'
Choi Seungtaek was lost in thought.
The overall power of the Magpies for two years, 2015 and 2016, was decent.
The problem was lack of pitchers.
The pitchers who burned brightly in 2015 faded quickly in 2016, and the resources that burned brightly in 2016 faded quickly in 2017.
Choi Seungtaek's strategy was to preserve the condition of the pitchers who would burn brightly in 2015 and fade in 2016, and explode them together with the players who would burst in 2016.
In that sense, gathering pitchers was quite good.
But this wasn't it. Because it was an incredibly stupid deal.
'Yeah, this is not it. Is it okay to trade a backup catcher who can hit .300 and a closer with ERA in the 6s? And it's an FA this year?'
Choi Seungtaek, who was about to go crazy from this ridiculous news, immediately headed to the team front office.
"Hey, wait a minute! I'm going out for a bit!"
The pitching coach could only watch Choi Seungtaek's back as he dashed off.
When Choi Seungtaek arrived at the team office, the scouting team was visible from afar.
Choi Seungtaek immediately ran over and started making a fuss.
"Team leader!"
"Huh? Choi Seungtaek?"
The front office's decision includes the GM's decision.
It was impossible for a rookie player to break this requirement.
So, Choi Seungtaek started to use his human touch and start rubbing it in.
"Scout team leader! You can't send Gyeekpo-senpai!"
"What? Damn, who spread the rumor."
Choi Seungtaek immediately lay down.
"If this goes on, I'm really going to die."
"Why?"
"I've already lost 10kg in weight. Gyeekpo-senpai is the only one who can come back quickly, but if I send him in a trade before that, I'm dead!"
"No, that's not right. U-su will come back first."
"I saw U-su-senpai's knee when he went down to the minors. Even if he comes back, he might play one game a week!"
Choi Seungtaek hammered the facts, and the scout team leader's expression became very difficult.
The scout team leader knew the burden Choi Seungtaek was currently receiving.
Choi Seungtaek's protest now was sending a signal that the starting catcher couldn't endure due to lack of stamina, which was hard to ignore.
"Um... Seungtaek-ah! Calm down."
"Ah! I'm dying. Just send me instead."
"You're a rookie, you can't be traded for a year. Since you chose the team, endure it."
"What? I didn't choose it?"
"Then you should have not received the 1st round 1st pick. Pro baseball is tough, endure it."
"Kuk."
The scout team leader subdued Choi Seungtaek with a firm tongue.
But Choi Seungtaek immediately started phase two.
"No! And is it okay to send Gyeekpo-senpai and bring in Song Chang-soo-senpai who got FA this year?"
"The rumor about that has already spread?"
The scout team leader, who felt the internal news spreading too accurately, was startled.
"Isn't that ridiculous!"
"Aigo..."
The scout team leader was dumbfounded by the 20-year-old player's whims, but decided to soothe him a bit and send him off.
Anyway, as the team's starting catcher and someone worried about weakening the team's power, it was tolerable to overlook it.
"Then what? You won't give good players. Didn't we request someone at first?"
"I don't know."
"Jeong Hyeon-dae."
Jeong Hyeon-dae.
An underhand pitcher who throws the best sinker in the country.
One of Han Geunseong's key bullpen at Incheon Cranes, called Queen Bee at the time, and now called Queen Seagull at the Busan Seagulls.
'Crazy. That's our Yanga-chin?'
"Ah..."
"Will it work? Of course, it's Song Chang-soo who gets scolded and given. Ah! Of course, we're not sorry to just take Song Chang-soo. So, I was thinking of requesting one more. But I don't know who exactly to bring."
"A pitcher?"
"Of course. Our pitching staff is still weak. Still lacking."
Choi Seungtaek agreed with this.
'The front office also knows the pitching staff is weak. So they're boldly gathering...'
"Who to bring... It's complicated enough, and if you add to this, won't we be very tired?"
'Is there anyone? A usable player among the Seagulls...'
"Choi Seungtaek? What are you thinking now...?"
Choi Seungtaek was lost in deep thought and didn't hear the scout team leader's words. In Choi Seungtaek's mind now, many Seagulls players were passing by.
And he recalled one name.
A player with high potential but not yet known at this point.
"Ah! Kim Jeon-gal!"
"Kim Jeon-gal? Who was that?"
Kim Jeon-gal
A monster-like player who joined the Busan Seagulls in 2012 and grew into a special closer in 2021 when Choi Seungtaek was there.
A fireballer based on his large 192cm frame and build, capable of throwing heavy fastballs...
"Kim Jeon-gal... Kim Jeon-gal..."
Since Choi Seungtaek's one word kept lingering in his mind, the scout team leader quickly started searching for information on the player.
"Kim Jeon-gal. Why is there no record? Ah! He went to the military. Um..."
At this time, Kim Jeon-gal's strengths were still the fastball. The weakness was control.
A promising player with a fast fastball but poor control was worth digging into.
"Not bad. Since we were already sending Lee Chung-seong, bringing in a young player this way isn't bad. Oh... It's really not bad? You're quite good. Worth bringing in."
Fortunately, Choi Seungtaek prevented the Magpies from becoming senile.