Will Oh Seung-hwan (41), the “heart of blue blood” and the history of Korea’s closing pitcher, announce the FA contract within this year? Oh’s contract with Samsung is getting longer than expected. Oh Seung-hwan, the history of Korea’s closing pitcher, is highly likely to end his career as a Samsung one-club man in the KBO league.
With Oh Seung-hwan and Samsung gradually adjusting the conditions, attention is also being paid to whether there will be news of a contract like a gift around the Christmas holiday and the end of the year. Oh Seung-hwan, who is also the oldest active player along with Choo Shin-soo and Kim Kang-min, realized the years gone by as he fell into a deep slump with two wins, three losses, 10 saves, two holds and a 4.80 ERA in 26 games in the first half of this season.
However, Oh completely revived in 32 games in the second half with two wins, two losses and 20 saves with a 2.20 earned run average. In his last game against the SSG Landers on Oct. 14, which was the final game of the season, he set a new milestone of 400 saves for the first time in KBO league history. 경마사이트
However, Oh Seung-hwan said, “Although I set this record, I think it was a very unfortunate year for the team, so I only feel so sorry for the fans.” He thanked his teammates, saying, “I want to thank the team players who always defend behind me so that I can raise this record.”
His performance in the first half of the season was remarkable, but given his overall performance in the 2023 season, his performance was by no means limited to his poor performance. He had four wins, five losses, 30 saves, two holds and a 3.45 ERA in 58 games, showing off his robustness by ranking third in the saving category.
It is only a nominal FA, but there is only one channel for negotiations. Both sides have no intention of letting go of each other. As soon as the FA market opened, Samsung’s general manager Lee Jong-yeol said, “Of course, I will keep him. I will definitely stick with him,” expressing his willingness to sign a contract with Oh regardless of other plans to recruit him.
Oh has also never thought about transferring. When asked about FA at an award ceremony earlier, Oh said, “I don’t think I’m an FA. I don’t think I would have had a baseball player without the Samsung Lions (laughs) because I talked well with the team,” adding, “That’s why we have to go with a good picture until the end.”
“However, I still have greed in one corner. I want to get good results again, and at the end, I really want to show a season where the Samsung Lions can win first place and personally eliminate the age issue,” Oh said, expressing his strong aspiration for Samsung’s victory and perfect revival as an individual.
Then, what are the current issues concerning the FA contract between Oh Seung-hwan and Samsung? “I understand that Oh Seung-hwan and Samsung General Manager Lee Jong-yeol are meeting in a smooth atmosphere to narrow differences over the contract,” a source familiar with Samsung said. “The player must be considering a more stable long-term contract and a long-term roadmap including salary cap, and the club has no choice but to consider a long-term roadmap.”
Fortunately for Samsung fans who expect the “finalist” to take the mound in a blue uniform next year, Oh Seung-hwan himself has a strong will to finish the contract well. As some differences arose in negotiations between his agent and the club at the beginning of the negotiations, Oh himself is coordinating the entire contract process with Lee Jong-yeol instead of an agent he has been with for a long time. This is a move that Oh’s sincere intention to conclude the contract earlier than the efficiency of negotiations.
As there is no disagreement over the contract agreement between the two sides, there is a good chance that the contract will be completed as soon as possible. Will the history of Korean pitchers be able to set another new record for Samsung next year.