LG got a substitute to use in the second half of the game, and NC strengthened its bullpen depth.
On the 18th, LG and NC made a one-on-one trade in exchange for pitcher right-hander Chae Ji-sun (28, right-handed left-handed) and outfielder Choi Seung-min (27, right-handed left-handed).
Chae Ji-sun (28), who joined 스포츠토토 Doosan as the eighth-ranked player in the second first round in 2015 after graduating from Gwangju Il High School, moved to LG with Ham Deok-ju during a 2-2 trade with Yang Seok-hwan and Nam-ho in the 2021 season.
Since his debut in the first team in the 2020 season, he has one win, three holds and a 4.00 ERA in 54 innings in 55 games. This year, he mainly plays in the Futures League and has 17⅓ innings with two wins, one loss, and three holds and a 3.63 ERA.
NC’s general manager Lim Sun-nam said, “Chae Ji-sun is a pitcher who has a good fastball and uses various pitches, and we expect to strengthen the pitchers’ depth, especially to help manage the bullpen.”
Choi Seung-min, who joined NC in 2015 after graduating from Shinil High School, has played 116 games in the first division since the 2019 season, batting .297 (22 hits in 74 at-bats), 5 RBIs, 32 points, and 16 steals. He has a batting average of .239 (16 hits in 67 at-bats) and seven steals in 24 Futures League games this season.
LG needed a substitute agent to play in the second half of the game as Shin Min-jae, a substitute agent, was the main player at second base. LG said, “We expect Choi Seung-min to have excellent operational performance as a pinch-runner with his fast focus, and we expect him to be of great help to the team in the second half of the game.”
LG, which did not have a good runner in the second half of the game due to Shin Min-jae’s leap to the starting lineup, first sought to trade Choi Seung-min, who was quick and had an excellent sense of base running.
NC, which was overloaded due to an injury to the bullpen, chose Chae Ji-sun with a fast ball that is nearly 150km and a powerful circle change-up. Judging that he is “a player who can fully communicate in the first division.”
The NC outfield is saturated. Park Kun-woo, who has completed his probation to Son Ah-seop Martin, will return. Veteran Kwon Hee-dong and Chun Jae-hwan and Kim Sung-wook are rather sick to clean up traffic. Infielder Choi Jung-won can also be put into the outfield.
On the contrary, LG’s bullpen is saturated. The existing bullpen is solid enough to return even if Lee Jung-yong, a bullpen must-win group, is turned as a starter. It was difficult for Chae to get a chance.
The trade allows both teams to fill each other’s weaknesses and dream of a win-win result.
