Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 72

The Whirlwind That Shook the League (3)

I returned to the agency and shared the story I had with Jang Su-young and Team Manager Park Young-no.

“So that’s the situation.”

“I can’t say Team Manager’s words are wrong, so even if we talk more, it doesn’t seem like much will change.”

Im Ye-ji had a serious expression on her face as she listened to me.

“What should we do if there’s no change even after talking to the club’s team manager? Should we just meet the coach directly and try to persuade him?”

Kim Min-hwan looked at me and Im Ye-ji alternately with a worried expression and said.

“There’s still one way left.”

“There’s a way?”

At my words, the two people’s gazes turned to me simultaneously.

“What way is it?”

Kim Min-hwan was especially eager.

“If you’ve talked to the team manager or coach and decided that they can’t get what the player wants, what options are left? I can only think of one in my head.”

“Don’t tell me…?”

Kim Min-hwan’s eyes sparkled.

“The only option is to send him to another team.”

“……!”

Kim Min-hwan, whose eyes widened, opened his mouth wide and couldn’t close it easily.

Silence filled the conference room for a moment.

It was Im Ye-ji who broke the silence, still maintaining her composure.

“Are you saying we should push for a trade?”

“Isn’t that the only way?”

“But would the Wolves even consider trading Jang Su-young? He’s a valuable left-handed pitcher in the league. If Jang Su-young is gone, they won’t have a left-handed bullpen pitcher to bring up in important situations.”

Im Ye-ji tilted her head and asked.

“But if they can bring in a player who can compensate for the team’s weaknesses in one fell swoop in return, wouldn’t their thinking change?”

“Wow… To trade for Jang Su-young, how much of a player would they have to give up?”

Kim Min-hwan, who seemed excited, wrote something on a piece of paper and exclaimed.

“Then what kind of player would the Wolves need?”

Im Ye-ji asked with her arms crossed.

“The Wolves’ biggest weakness right now is their infield defense, especially the shortstop and second baseman, who have to anchor the defense. For years, they’ve been struggling to develop a shortstop and second baseman who can be reliably called starters. No matter how strong the bullpen is, it’s safe to say that a team with a weak center line defense has no chance of winning.”

No matter how good the offense and pitching were, a team with an unstable defense could never win.

In particular, if they couldn’t anchor the defense in the positions from center fielder to shortstop to second baseman to catcher, which are called the center line, there was nothing more to say.

“In that situation, if they can get a shortstop with the defensive ability to play as a starter, it will be difficult to oppose it unconditionally. And the Wolves’ bullpen is already saturated. If they can make up for a clear weakness, it’s not impossible to give up a bullpen pitcher.”

“If we have to find a shortstop who can play as a starter, there can’t be that many, right?”

Kim Min-hwan wrote down the names of the players he could think of.

“And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a 1:1 trade. There are several ways to do it.”

There had already been 1:1 or 2:2 trades, as well as large-scale trades such as 4:3 or 4:4.

More complexly, there had even been triangular trades involving three teams.

However, trades were difficult to pull off because both teams had to benefit.

That was why clubs often spent a long time discussing behind the scenes, only for the deal to fall through.

Therefore, in order to increase the probability of a successful trade, it was necessary to consider all possible scenarios.

“That makes sense. Either way, if a starting-level shortstop has to be included, it will be difficult for the other team to make a decision easily.”

“If you want to get a top-class bullpen pitcher in the league, you have to give up that much, right? Especially a left-handed pitcher.”

“That’s right. It’s going to be fun.”

Im Ye-ji nodded with a faint smile.

“Then do you have any teams in mind?”

Among the nine clubs excluding the Wolves, there was no team that would refuse a reliable bullpen pitcher like Jang Su-young.

Among them, the teams that needed to reinforce their bullpen to the point of giving up a shortstop who could immediately play as a starter were narrowed down to two or three.

“We should probably meet with teams that need to reinforce their bullpen in order to aim for the championship or postseason this year. It would be good to talk to the Jaguars or the Dragons first.”
The Jaguars, whose weak bullpen was a concern every season, and the Dragons, who were likely to be interested in additional reinforcement to win their second consecutive championship.

Perhaps these two teams were most likely to show deep interest.

“Let’s do that. Team Manager Kim, please help me too.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Kim Min-hwan nodded vigorously and replied.

“A big deal that could shake up the league might break out.”

Im Ye-ji’s lips were also turning up, so it seemed like she was enjoying this situation.

* * *

As soon as I came out of the conference room, I headed to the pantry.

I needed to organize my thoughts on where to start before leaving.

I put in a capsule coffee and pressed the button, when suddenly the door burst open.

The person who hurriedly opened the door and came in was Kim Min-hwan.

“Hyun-woo. So you were here?”

“Team Manager, is something wrong?”

I took a sip of coffee.

“What are you going to do from now on?”

“I’m going to go around and talk to people directly.”

“Then what can I do to help?”

Kim Min-hwan put his hand on my shoulder and raised the corners of his mouth.

He’s really eager.

-He’s excited about the possibility of a big trade.

-He wants to play an important role in the trade process himself.

In fact, it was better to do it with two people than alone in many ways.

Kim Min-hwan also had connections and know-how, so he would be able to help.

If he helps me so actively, I’m grateful.

“How about checking what the other clubs are thinking?”

“That’s necessary too. Should we make a call to each of them?”

“That’s good. But don’t make it obvious that it’s Jang Su-young. Just say it’s a top-class left-handed bullpen pitcher. We haven’t even talked to the Wolves yet.”

“Oh, Hyun-woo, what do you think of me? I know that without you telling me.”

Kim Min-hwan, with a definitely excited expression, patted me on the shoulder and laughed.

The force was so strong that I almost let out a groan.

“Shouldn’t we spread it to the reporters separately? It would be helpful to get a sneak peek at the fans’ reactions.”

“I’ll do that separately.”

“Oho……”

Kim Min-hwan narrowed his eyes and stared at me intently.

“Why?”

“So you know some reporters now, huh?”

“It’s been almost a year since I became an agent, so I should have a reporter connection to contact right away.”

“Who? That woman from then?”

“Why do you want to know?”

I took a sip of coffee with a bothered expression.

“Do you contact her often even when you don’t have work?”

“I do when I have work.”

“When you don’t have work?”

“Why would I contact her when I don’t have work?”

“Ha… You’re a really boring style.”

Kim Min-hwan stared at my face and shook his head with a sigh.

“Focus on work. It looks like we’ll have to stay up all night for a few days.”

“Okay. I have to work. Then are you going out now, Hyun-woo? Which club are you going to go to first?”

“I’m thinking of going to the Jaguars first. They’re a team that’s always hoping for a pitcher to appear.”

“Good idea. By the way, how can the Jaguars be so bad at developing pitchers? They’ve drafted so many pitchers in the draft for years, but their starting lineup isn’t solid, and their bullpen pitchers aren’t strong.”

He’s clearly criticizing the Jaguars’ lack of development.

Why does it feel like he’s insulting me?

But there’s not a single thing he said that’s wrong.

“And please let me know right away how the Dragons reacted when you call them.”

“Let you know right away?”

“I think the Dragons will be very interested. After all, they’re the defending champions, so wouldn’t they be positive about reinforcing their power?”

“That could be true. Then I’ll contact them first.”

Kim Min-hwan nodded vigorously.

“I’ll leave now.”

“Okay. Go carefully. Contact me right away if you need anything.”

“Yes.”

As I was about to leave the office, Kim Min-hwan raised the corners of his mouth and waved at me.

Compared to when I first met Kim Min-hwan a few months ago, it was a change that was truly earth-shattering.

* * *

As soon as I got out of the office, I went straight to the train station.

I kept worrying on the way.

Is it right to press the call button now?

There was a big difference between FA [Free Agent] contracts and trades.

FA contracts were just a matter of time, and there was always a moment when negotiations were completed.

But trades weren’t like that.

If you can’t match cards with another team, it just goes away.

The problem was when rumors leaked in the middle.

If a player found out that the club had tried to trade him and failed, he would naturally not feel good.

That was why trades were conducted quietly and secretly more than anything else.

“Hmm……”

Of course, this was only from the club’s point of view, and Jang Su-young’s situation was completely different right now.

The player himself already knew and was even preparing himself.

It was more important to succeed than to keep the rumors from spreading.

After much deliberation, I pressed the call button.

After a few rings, I heard a voice.

-Hyun-woo!

“Soo-min. Is it okay to talk now?”

The reaction of a reporter who had found an interesting story was as expected.

* * *

A few hours later, I was sitting face to face with Jo Gwang-hoon, the Jaguars’ team manager.

-The Jaguars are very stressed out because they have fallen to the bottom of the rankings.

-Every time I hear opinions that I should resign, my heart sinks.

There was no strength in Jo Gwang-hoon’s expression.

Looking at the current situation, it was understandable.

The team had been in a slump since the beginning of the season, and their ranking had fallen to 8th place.

They also missed Lee Sang-hoon last winter, and their ambitious attempt to recruit Na Joon-ho failed, resulting in only losses in the team’s power.

It was not unreasonable for Jo Gwang-hoon, who was in charge of recruiting players, to be told to resign.

“What’s going on this time?”

“I’m here to make a suggestion for the Jaguars.”

“What suggestion now? I wish you had just let me recruit Na Joon-ho. It would have been much different if we had Na Joon-ho.”

This suggestion will be quite attractive too.

A smile spread across my face.