On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 248

Ham Seong-hoon nodded.

“Understood. Then, please take good care of Kim Wook.”

“Yes. I will do my best.”

After the operations team leader and the scouting team leader left, Ham Seong-hoon and the coaches put their heads together again.

They drew up the lineup with Kim Wook and the lineup without Kim Wook.

Ham Seong-hoon was the first to speak.

“I think In-hwan needs to go to left field whether Kim Wook comes or not. What do you guys think?”

The coaches nodded.

“Then, Seon-ho will play first base, right?”

“Yes. If Seon-ho keeps switching between left field and DH [designated hitter] like now, it won’t work. He likes playing defense, and he actually performs better when he’s on the field, but he’s too unstable in left field.”

“Can Seon-ho play first base well? His fielding isn’t bad, but I’m a little worried about bunt defense.”

“Isn’t bunt defense easier than left field defense?”

“Ah… I guess you’re right.”

“If In-hwan goes to left field and Kim Wook comes to third base, we can build a flexible and powerful lineup from 1 to 6 with In-hwan, Kim Wook, Seok-hyun, Seon-ho, and Jin-il. Ji-seong will be fixed at number 1, and Young-soo and Dong-gyu will be added here, and the designated hitter can be changed flexibly depending on the situation.”

“If Kim Wook doesn’t come, Jae-wan is doing his part well enough, so Plan B isn’t bad either.”

“Jae-wan is a top-tier infielder for his age. He has enough experience, and his growth is good. I don’t think we need to be too greedy.”

“Yes. I agree.”

“We can’t do anything about the shortstop and second baseman positions, and the positions we’re lacking are left field and third base. Whether it’s Plan A or Plan B, if we can finalize In-hwan and Seon-ho’s positions, next year will be easier.”

At that moment, the defense coach raised his hand.

“Excuse me, Manager.”

“Yes, Coach. What is it?”

“Our infield and outfield backups are too weak. Jong-il, Ji-ho, and Jin-young are gone. We need at least a corner infielder backup and a semi-starting outfielder to replace the two corner infielder backups and the starting left fielder who left.”

“I was thinking about that too.”

The coaches focused on Ham Seong-hoon’s words.

There are two ways to fill the missing spots.

Call up from the minor leagues or sign from the outside.

Currently, Kim Wook is the only external free agent mentioned, so the only option left is a trade.

“I think it’ll be enough to bring up infielders from the minor leagues. Lee Myeong-seong, Jeon Tae-yoon, and Kim Sang-yeon. All three of them have an OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging, a baseball statistic] of over 0.850 in the minor leagues. All three of them are good defensively. Of course, we can’t trust the minor league stats completely, but I think it’s worth giving them a chance in the major leagues.”

“Then what about the outfield…?”

“Our team had a lot of fast and good defensive players in the minor league outfield. Since Jamsil [a large baseball stadium in Seoul] is large, we naturally picked players with good outfield defense… The problem is hitting. There are no good hitting outfielders. Song Jong-il and Pyo Dae-il have been playing corner positions, but both of them are scheduled to enlist in the military this year, so we’re really short on corner infielder backups. We gave a lot of corner infielders to the new teams, so it’s even worse.”

The hitting coach muttered.

“Of all times, two new teams had to be created…”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. We can’t control that. Since there aren’t any good free agent outfielders, I’m thinking of making a trade.”

“Do you have someone in mind?”

“Yes. You all know him well. Kim Jeong-deok from the Bulls.”

The coaches stirred.

“What?”

“Kim Jeong-deok?”

“He’s the Bulls’ key prospect. He’s a starter. There’s no way the Bulls would let him go.”

“His position is center field.”

Most of the coaches expressed their disapproval.

The most difficult trade is trading young and promising prospects.

The team won’t let them go, and the fans’ backlash is strong, so even if the team wants to agree, they hesitate because of the fans.

Kim Jeong-deok is a second-year high school outfielder.

He was a very popular player, called the Bulls’ idol.

“Okay, okay, calm down. Let me explain one by one. First of all, about the position…”

Ham Seong-hoon explained why Kim Jeong-deok was the right choice.

The coaches soon agreed with Ham Seong-hoon’s explanation, but they were still pessimistic about the difficulty of the trade.

“So…”

Ham Seong-hoon paused for a long time.

“We’re going to send Byeong-seon and…”

Ham Seong-hoon looked at the coaches’ faces and said.

“Kang Seok-hyun and Kang Hwan-yoon and receive Kim Jeong-deok and Jeong Geun-gi.”

The coaches couldn’t close their mouths.

In particular, pitching coach Yeon Woo-shik’s lips were trembling.

“Kang Seok-hyun and Kang Hwan-yoon are essential resources that we protected even when we included them in the 20-man protection list. You’re sending away two of our team’s setup men who were in the bullpen until the beginning of this year?”

“We have to do this much to make a trade that the other side will be satisfied with.”

“Even so, that’s too big.”

“That’s why we’re including Jeong Geun-gi. Since we’re including two immediate players, it’s somewhat balanced if we include a twenty-year-old shortstop.”

“Even so-”

“Trades don’t happen if we try to benefit unilaterally. It’s possible only if there’s mutual benefit. We have to offer something that the other side wants so that we can even think about getting what we want. And one more thing.”

Ham Seong-hoon pointed to Kim In-hwan on the lineup on the desk.

“We also have to consider the possibility that In-hwan won’t be able to handle left field defense. We need someone who can play starting left field. To do that, we need a major league-level player. We need to prepare for the possibility that Plan B will go wrong.”

The coaches’ expressions were dark.

They were giving up a lot of resources, and the resources they were receiving were not easy to get.

Just as doubts about the success of the trade were growing, Ham Seong-hoon smiled.

“We’re not the ones doing the actual negotiations, are we? Our negotiation team will take care of it. I’m sure they will.”

* * *

“Ha.”

Kim Hak-in slammed his head on the desk.

Kim Hak-in’s desk had the title of operations team leader and assistant general manager.

“That’s why he told me to go out.”

Kim Hak-in raised his head and looked at the ceiling.

Kim Jeong-deok.

The idol of Gwangju [a city in South Korea known for its baseball enthusiasm].

Bring Kim Jeong-deok in a trade?

Not only is it difficult, but they also offered two bullpen pitchers who were classified as the Gotes’ setup men until the beginning of this year.

There will be many Gote fans who oppose this.

Even if the trade is successful, there will be a lot of talk, and if it fails, it will be even more of a headache.

It is undeniable that the Gotes’ outfield backup is weak.

Kim Jeong-deok is a five-tool player with a wide range of defense and a strong arm.

He is a second-year high school outfielder, so his potential is endless.

His stats this year are also a batting average of .280 and an OPS of .782.

It’s ambiguous to call it the stats of a starting player, but his defense is already top-notch.

If Kim In-hwan fails to adapt to left field, he is perfect as a starting left fielder.

“Why did I have to be the assistant general manager… Ha.”

The new president and general manager were relatives of the chairman who had no expertise at all.

Of course, it’s fortunate that there is no interference or control, but they also don’t take responsibility.

Kim Hak-in has to do what the general manager should do.

He is the one who gets blamed if things go wrong.

Kim Hak-in sighed repeatedly and picked up the phone.

Still, work is work.

Even if it’s not for sale, he has to try because the manager asked him to.

Kim Hak-in made a call and hung up before he could even exchange greetings.

“I’m doomed…”

It’s not going to happen.

The Bulls immediately hung up after saying they would discuss it.

Kim Hak-in put the trade with the Bulls on hold and focused on signing Kim Wook.

He could drag it on for a few days and tell the manager that it was difficult.

Kim Wook’s reaction was lukewarm, but he didn’t refuse the meeting.

It was highly likely that he would use the negotiations with the Gotes as a stepping stone for negotiations with the Pegasus, but he decided to meet him first.

On the morning of the meeting with Kim Wook.

Kim Hak-in was about to leave the office after finishing his preparations when the phone rang.

The person who called was the Bulls’ representative.

“Hello?”

* * *

Kim Hak-in left the office and went straight to the manager’s office.

When he opened the door to the manager’s office, Ham Seong-hoon was looking at the computer monitor.

“Manager.”

“Ah, Team Leader Kim. Hello.”

“I just got a call from the Bulls.”

Ham Seong-hoon smiled.

“Is it a yes?”

“They surprisingly said yes. But the stakes are higher. They want No Jin-hwan too.”

“Jin-hwan? Are they going to take all of our bullpen… Hehe.”

Ham Seong-hoon made a circle with his thumb and index finger.

“Okay. Let’s take it before they change their minds.”

“Are you sure? It’s a deal that gives up three starting-level bullpen pitchers and a major league center fielder.”

“But we’re getting a twenty-year-old shortstop and a twenty-one-year-old center fielder in return. Contact the PR team and prepare an article. Trade successful at the active request of Manager Ham Seong-hoon! I’ll take the blame.”

“You really want me to accept the deal?”

“Yes. Accept it.”

“…Okay, I understand.”

Kim Hak-in left the manager’s office and picked up the phone.

Kim Hak-in took a few breaths and said clearly and forcefully.

“Yes. I understand. Let’s prepare the documents.”

Catching Success

Stove League (2)

A hotel in front of Seoul City Hall.

A sturdy man was sitting in a cafe, wearing a hat pulled down low.

It was just past lunchtime, so the cafe was crowded, but there was no one in front of the man.

“I’m sorry. Am I a little late?”

The man raised his head at the voice of a stranger.

The person who raised his head was Kim Wook.

The person who spoke to Kim Wook was Team Leader Kim Hak-in.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Hello.”

Kim Wook got up from his seat, received the business card, and sat down quietly.

The two did not mention each other’s teams or names.

Before the contract, there is no need to create rumors.

“I’m really sorry for delaying the appointment. Something very urgent suddenly came up.”

“It’s okay. Isn’t this a busy time for you? We’re the busiest during the season, but the front office is the busiest now.”

“Haha. Thank you for your concern.”

Kim Hak-in took out a handkerchief and wiped away the sweat.

“It’s almost winter, but I’m sweating. Haha.”

“Would you like to talk here, or should we move to another place?”

“Ah, it would be better to move to another place, right? Is there a place that’s convenient for you?”

“There’s a Japanese restaurant I go to often. It has private rooms, so it’s a good place to have a quiet meal. Haven’t you had lunch yet? I’m a little hungry.”

“Ah, then let’s go. Let’s go.”

The two moved to Kim Wook’s favorite restaurant.

Kim Hak-in was able to hear the word “okay” from Kim Wook’s mouth even before the meal came out.

“There’s nothing more to say about the conditions. That’s enough.”

At Kim Wook’s words, Kim Hak-in smiled with his mouth but could not hide his embarrassment in his eyes.

Negotiations are supposed to be about pushing and pulling each other and fitting the puzzle together, but Kim Wook didn’t hesitate at all.

Kim Hak-in kept the cards he had prepared deep in his heart.

“Then have you made up your mind?”

“Yes. Well, I wouldn’t have contacted you if I hadn’t made up my mind, right? Let’s eat and then go to the office to sign right away.”

“Ah… Yes. Let’s do that. Let’s do that.”

“Yes. Then it’s over. Let’s have a delicious meal to celebrate the contract. The sushi here is pretty good.”

“Yes, yes.”

Kim Hak-in excused himself to go to the bathroom during the meal with Kim Wook.

He looked around once and took out his cell phone and called Ham Seong-hoon.

“Manager.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“It’s okay. Kim Wook accepted our first condition right away.”

“Really? Right away?”

“Yes. I guess the rumors are true. It seems like Pegasus is tightening its finances and didn’t offer Kim Wook a good deal.”

“There were rumors like that? I didn’t hear about it.”

“I have some acquaintances at Pegasus. They were complaining that the bonus wasn’t good, so I thought something was wrong. There was no such talk last year.”

“If you knew that, you should have shared it with me.”

“It was just a guess, a guess. It’s still a guess. Otherwise, there’s no way Kim Wook would have accepted our conditions right away.”

“It’s a good thing, right? Signing a top-notch third baseman for 8 billion is a jackpot, right? I think we got a good deal considering the current market price.”

“Yes. Anyway, I think it’s a special day today, so many big fish… Oh, right. He wants to sign right away this afternoon, so you’ll be in the office this afternoon, right? We should take a picture together later.”

“Of course. Two people are coming up from Gwangju this afternoon too.”

“Oh, right. I’m so out of it. Haha. Then I’ll see you later.”

“Good job, Team Leader Kim. Ah, Assistant General Manager Kim. Hehe. I’ll be calling you General Manager soon.”

After hanging up, Kim Hak-in took a deep breath.

Most trades don’t happen, and only one in ten happens.

Usually, cards are exchanged under the table and then the deal falls through, but this time the Bulls accepted it right away.

Two A-class bullpen pitchers and one major league-level bullpen pitcher, and one major league A-class outfield defensive player, even though he is recovering from an injury.

The depth has become even thinner in a situation where the already thin depth has become even thinner due to the creation of two new teams.

The depth problem is not a problem that the Gotes have experienced for one or two years, so it cannot be solved at once, but from the perspective of the operations team, the polarization of players is precarious.

If you only pick the major league-level players, it’s a top-ranked team in the league, but if you include the minor league players, it’s only a mid-ranked team at best.

The fact that the major league coaches were demoted to the minor leagues during the season also contributed to the chaotic atmosphere in the minor leagues.