The Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) are in dire need of a starting catcher.
The Giants announced that Yoo Kang-nam, their starting catcher, will undergo knee surgery before their game against the Doosan Bears at Munsu Stadium in Ulsan on April 18. According to Lotte, Yoo underwent a suture repair of the medial meniscus tear in his left knee on Nov. 17 under the supervision of Professor Wang Jun-ho at Samsung Medical Center. The surgery went well and the rehabilitation period is expected to take seven months,” the organization said.
During his time with the LG Twins, the catcher wore a catcher’s mask for nearly 1,000 innings every year and was known as the “Steel King”. Recognized for his value as a healthy, full-season catcher, Yoo became eligible for free agency in 2022 and signed a four-year, 8 billion won contract with Lotte.
The signing of Yoo solved Lotte’s need for an experienced catcher at first base. However, in 121 games last year, Yoo batted just 2-for-6 with 92 runs (352 at-bats), 10 home runs, 55 RBIs, and a .726 OPS. He had a somewhat disappointing first season in the big leagues, and this year was even worse than last year. He suffered a severe slump at the beginning of the season. After a brief resurgence, he batted 1-for-26 (136 at-bats) with five home runs, 20 RBIs, and a .599 OPS in 52 games. However, he was nursing a sore left nucleus pulposus and was eventually designated for assignment on June 19.
Yoo tried to rehabilitate and return for the season, but the pain worsened.
He and the club deliberated, but eventually opted for surgery. It is unclear if he will be able to participate in spring training next year.
“Initially, he considered returning to play through rehabilitation, but after multiple hospital examinations, Dr. Wang Jun-ho, a renowned specialist at Samsung Medical Center, decided that ‘rehabilitation is a temporary measure, and surgery is more suitable for him to continue his healthy career,’” the club explained. That’s why he underwent surgery about a month after the injury was expunged.
“If a player chooses rehabilitation, it may be a plus for the club in the short term because he can return quickly, but from a long-term perspective and from the player’s point of view, we decided it was better to have the surgery quickly,” he said. 토토사이트 추천 ”Yoo Kang-nam is a key player for the club and needs to play a bigger role in the future, so we decided to have the surgery in order to keep him healthy.”
Lotte will now have to rely on younger catchers such as Son Sung-bin and Seo Dong-wook to carry them through the season without their star catcher. With the most games remaining (56) out of the 10 clubs, it could be a tough time for Lotte. Manager Kim Tae-hyung, who doesn’t have a lot of faith in his young catchers, could try to deal with the situation in a number of ways.
To fill the immediate void left by Yoo Kang-nam, he could look to the trade market to bolster his catching staff.
This is why a trade storm could start from Lotte. However, with Lotte having a clear goal of strengthening its catching staff, it’s unclear if opposing teams will be willing to negotiate with them. Catchers, a specialty position, are especially hard to find. With so many targets already in the market, Lotte will have no choice but to negotiate from the position of the ‘underdog’ in the market, and the counteroffer will likely be above market value. Lotte has no choice but to hemorrhage money to fill the gap.
However, it is possible that Lotte could make a larger trade that is not just for catcher resources. Lotte, which is already at the bottom of the negotiations, could try to reorganize its roster with a big trade, but the odds are not in its favor.
Still, Kim Tae-hyung’s style is to organize the season with the resources he has available. He’s going to make do with what he has and try to make the best of the current situation. I’m not going to complain about these variables. A trade could be dramatic, but if it doesn’t happen, the season could be directed toward developing the existing young catching options of Son Sung-bin and Seo Dong-wook.
The trade deadline is July 31st. Having already hit the jackpot early in the season when they traded for Son Ho-young to bolster their infield offense, Lotte could be looking to make another big move.