Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 210

#209. Joint Training

[Exclusive: Seoul Warriors Sign Sisterhood Agreement with Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball]

[Unprecedented and sweeping terms including player and coaching staff training, technology exchange, sharing of the latest equipment, joint spring camp, and dispatch of developmental players to minor league teams]

[Seattle Mariners GM Daniel Mitchell: “Our two teams have now become true partners. We expect that the exchange between the two teams will be a solid stepping stone for a better future.”]

[Seoul Warriors and Seattle Mariners to hold joint spring training in Peoria, Arizona in February, with detailed schedules for group training and practice games to be released to the media]

After the sisterhood agreement between the two teams was officially signed, Han Su-hyeok had another meal with Daniel.

In reality, this agreement was almost entirely beneficial to the Warriors, with the Seattle Mariners gaining very little.

It was only natural that they would want something in return.

Han Su-hyeok asked what he wanted from him.

“It’s nothing much. I would just like you to answer honestly if I ever have any questions for you, Han Su-hyeok. That’s all.”

“Okay… I don’t see any reason to refuse. Then go ahead and ask. I’ll give you the first chance.”

“Oh, thank you. Then I’ll ask. I know you have no intention of going to the Big Leagues yet… but if you ever do, just hypothetically, which team would you want to play for? What conditions or environment would you prefer? Anything is fine.”

Han Su-hyeok chuckled.

He could see right through Daniel, but he realized that there was no malice or trickery involved.

After a moment of contemplation, he finally gave Daniel the answer he was waiting for.

“Well, I’ve never really thought about it deeply, but first of all…”

* * *

“I found out! I found it! Boss!”

“Don’t be so dramatic, just sit down. Take a deep breath first, that’s right. Did you run all the way from the airport? Look, you’re not a scout anymore, you’re a general manager. Have some dignity.”

“That’s not important right now… I found out what Han Su-hyeok wants!”

“What? Damn it, you should have reported that over the phone. Alright, tell me. What is it that he wants?”

Daniel, who had run non-stop from the airport to the Seattle Mariners’ CEO’s office, downed a glass of water in one gulp and said,

“I have some positive news and some negative news. Which would you like to hear first?”

“Let’s hear the positive stuff first. Tell me.”

“I don’t know why, but money is not a consideration at all. He also doesn’t want to be restricted by a bunch of partnership agreements. He says that if he goes to America, it’s because he wants to enjoy playing baseball, not for the money.”

“That’s great. Then we won’t be at a disadvantage compared to the big market teams. What’s next?”

“Another positive thing is that he doesn’t necessarily need to be on a championship-caliber team. As long as it’s not a team that’s tanking [deliberately losing games to secure a higher draft pick] for draft picks, and as long as it’s a team that’s giving its all to win the World Series, he doesn’t care where it is.”

“Great, he’s an amazing guy. This is really good news for us. Okay, so that’s all the positive news? Then I guess I’m ready for the negative news.”

“He had a very specific picture of the teammates he wants, the players he wants to play with. First of all, he wants a solid starting rotation, and most importantly, he wants a hitter behind him who is so powerful that the opposing pitcher can’t afford to walk him.”

“He must have been walked a lot in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]. Well, that shouldn’t be too difficult? Our team has some pretty good cleanup hitters…”

“No, like I said, the picture is very specific. He even gave me the names of the players he wants.”

“Names? Who does he want?”

“He wants Ty Johnson from the Cardinals, or Lucas Anderson from the Yankees. If neither of those is possible, then Aaron Decker from the Dodgers, or Jerry Wagner from the Red Sox. He wants one of those four to be behind him.”

“What the hell! Are you kidding me? How are we supposed to get those guys… Wait, hold on? Come to think of it, it might not be entirely impossible…”

“That’s right! That’s what I’m saying. Ty Johnson’s contract is up this year. Han Su-hyeok said that he was slightly tempted when the Cardinals made their offer because of Ty Johnson.”

“Wait, wait… um, the report I received last time… said that he was in talks with the Cardinals to renew his contract, right? What were the terms roughly?”

“We estimate that it will be around $200 million over five years, from age 35 to 40. The post-retirement ambassador contract is separate.”

“Damn it, that’s ridiculously expensive, considering he’s a hitter. Okay, so that’s an average of $40 million per year… Holy crap, that’s terrifying just thinking about it? Come to think of it, the 10-year contract we signed with Ryan was practically free.”

“Yes, that contract wouldn’t have been possible if he didn’t have an attachment to the Mariners.”

Ryan Thibodeau, considered one of the best pitchers in America, even though Han Su-hyeok thoroughly defeated him in the last WBC [World Baseball Classic], signed a 10-year, $300 million long-term contract with Seattle two years ago.

With that contract, Seattle broke away from the tanking that had been going on for the past 10 years and declared a full-fledged win-now mode.

The newly appointed ownership group generously released funds, called up promising prospects to the Big Leagues, and sold off those who weren’t to bring in immediate reinforcements.

The problem was that Seattle finished 4th in the division for two consecutive years in 2027 and 2028.

Two years of Ryan Thibodeau’s 10-year contract, the league’s best pitcher, were wasted so futilely.

Seattle’s plan, which had set ambitious goals of winning the division within three years, winning the league within five years, and winning the World Series within 10 years, when Ryan Thibodeau’s contract expired, was in danger of being derailed from the start.

Anyway, the conclusion is this.

The hitters who currently occupy Seattle’s starting lineup are mostly players in their 2nd to 5th year in the Big Leagues.

They are just starting to show their potential, but they are not yet the best.

Therefore, in order to bring Han Su-hyeok, they must first secure one of these top-tier Big League hitters: Ty Johnson, Lucas Anderson, Aaron Decker, or Jerry Wagner.

Actually, it’s not all bad news.

One of the reasons why Seattle struggled for the past two years was the lack of a cleanup hitter.

The pitching mound, led by Ryan Thibodeau, was quite decent, but the lack of experience in the batting lineup always held them back.

“Okay, it’s more realistic to try to get Ty Johnson, whose contract is expiring soon, than to try to get players from the Yankees and Dodgers. Contact him discreetly. We need a hitter to be the core of our team anyway.”

“But Ryan has 8 years left on his contract… and if we add Ty Johnson’s 5 years… I think we need to recalculate the payroll.”

“Leave that to me. I’ll discuss it with the ownership group again. They have nowhere to back down anyway. Now that things have come this far, they have to produce some results. Otherwise, they’ll end up like the old Nintendo, the game company, spending money for nothing.”

“Understood. Then I’ll keep that in mind and leave.”

“Good, Daniel. Let’s think positively. It’s a bit risky to spend $200 million on a hitter in his mid-30s, but what if we can use Han Su-hyeok for the minimum salary for three years as a result? That’s a bargain. So, let’s proceed with that in mind.”

“I agree, Boss.”

“Good, then get out of here.”

* * *

While the Big League teams were each lost in their own dreams surrounding Han Su-hyeok, time continued to flow.

Unlike the previous stove league [off-season period for player trades and acquisitions], which was fiercely competitive with big names like Im Jun-yeong and Choi Kyeong-jae entering the market, this winter transfer market proceeded relatively calmly.

Lee Chan-ho, who the Magicians had acquired for the sake of winning the championship but had only used for one year, eventually obtained FA [Free Agent] status and advanced to the United States.

Although he didn’t join the Dodgers, who were initially considered the frontrunners, Lee Chan-ho was able to live in LA [Los Angeles].

“Welcome, come on in.”

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], do you think I made the right choice?”

“Yeah, that’s right. What can we do? It’s just our destiny.”

Ryu Han-gyeol, who was the breadwinner of the Daejeon Falcons, and Lee Chan-ho, who was the only hope of the Seoul Fighters, ended up playing on the same team.

The Angels, who had been spending a huge budget every year but had failed to break out of the mid-tier, fought hard until the end with Ryu Han-gyeol, whom they had acquired through posting [transfer system], recording 12 wins.

Unfortunately, they failed to win the championship or secure a wild card spot, but the Angels, who were praised for spending money properly for the first time in a while, gained faith in Korean players, which led to the acquisition of Lee Chan-ho.

“Now that things have come to this, I wish Su-hyeok would come to our team too.”

“If he comes, we’ll win the championship.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yeah, but do you think he’ll come to our team? When teams like the Yankees and Red Sox are begging him to come on their knees.”

“Haa…”

“Don’t sigh. You’re making me depressed too.”

Meanwhile, with the exception of Lee Chan-ho, there were no other big names, but there were still some decent resources available in the FA market.

They were Incheon Rangers’ left-handed relief pitcher Ahn Seok-cheol, and Daegu Buffaloes’ right-handed relief pitcher Yoo Ki-joon.

With relatively low price tags, but capable of handling both starting and middle relief, the 10 clubs were all vying for the two players.

The two players, who were faced with a happy dilemma, eventually ended up wearing the same team’s uniform.

The Warriors, who had declared unlimited spending, were the main characters.

[Seoul Warriors Successfully Acquire FA Ahn Seok-cheol and Yoo Ki-joon Simultaneously]

[Ahn Seok-cheol signs a 5-year, 4.5 billion won contract, Yoo Ki-joon signs a 6-year, 4.2 billion won contract]

[Seoul Warriors, who have emerged as a big 손 [hand, meaning spender] in the FA market following last year, “We are very satisfied with this stove league. Source of funds? Well, our investor told us not to worry about money…”]

[Seoul Warriors, who have won the championship for two consecutive years and secured two top-tier relief pitchers through FA, have emerged as strong candidates for the championship this season as well]

The Warriors’ bold investment, which was not enough to acquire top-tier players Im Jun-yeong and Min Joo-hyeon, but also acquired middle relief pitchers, which was the team’s weakest area, through FA this time.

It was something that Warriors fans, who had been accustomed to the team’s parent company’s stinginess for decades, found difficult to adapt to.

Not only that, but the very next day after the news of the two players’ FA contracts was announced,

Another piece of news that fans had been waiting for was delivered.

[Seoul Warriors Sign Veteran Lee Man-sik to a 5-year, 5 billion won Contract]

[Lee Man-sik “I am satisfied with the team’s treatment. I am very honored to be able to remain a one-club man.”]

[Warriors fans gather in front of Jamsil Baseball Stadium and chant Lee Man-sik’s name]

Following Jo Seong-oh last season, Lee Man-sik signed a long-term contract with the team this time.

As a result, both pillars of the team’s offense and defense, who had supported the team through difficult times, were able to retire wearing the Warriors’ uniform.

The fans, who had always had to watch the team’s veterans being sold to other teams when they got old, were moved by an unknown emotion and praised the Warriors’ club.

With the stove league over, spring camp finally began to prepare for the 2029 season.

Spring training, which was held jointly by a Big League club and a KBO club for the first time in history.

The Seattle Mariners’ 40-man roster players, and the minor league invitees, which were more than double the usual number in order to take advantage of the purpose of this joint camp.

With the Warriors’ players gathering together, Peoria, Arizona began to burn hot.

“Damn it, why do we have to have a joint camp with those guys?”

“Aren’t they only Double-A level at best? If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to bring up a bunch of youngsters from the minors?”

“Is it the power of China money?”

“No, it’s not China, it’s Korea. So it’s not related to China money.”

“What does that matter? Damn it.”

There were quite a few players who were dissatisfied with the fact that they were having joint training with a Korean professional team, not Japan.

In the case of starting-level players, they wondered if it was necessary to be with lower-league players, and the minor league players who had been invited with difficulty were concerned that even that opportunity would be limited in a situation where they already lacked opportunities to showcase their skills.

But all those complaints were cleanly resolved by someone’s words.

“Stop talking nonsense and get your act together if you don’t want to be embarrassed.”

“Ryan, what do you mean?”

“You stupid guys, don’t you watch TV? Do you only go on the internet to watch porn? Are you not interested in what’s going on in the world other than building muscle?”

The ace of the Seattle Mariners and the league’s representative pitcher.

Ryan, who had fully realized the horror of Han Su-hyeok through the last WBC, quelled the Seattle players’ complaints.

But there was no need to do that.

Joint training began in earnest, and a practice game began that included many of the Mariners’ and Warriors’ starting-level players.

And Han Su-hyeok, who started as the team’s starting pitcher and 3rd batter, literally crushed the Mariners.

Thwaack!

“Holy shit……!”