Hanwha Eagles started investing this winter by filling the limit on free agency recruitment for the first time in a long time.
Hanwha first caught internal 스포츠토토 free agent Jang Si-hwan, then recruited outfielder Chae Eun-seong, pitcher Lee Tae-yang, and infielder Oh Seon-jin, filling all three possible recruits from outside free agents this winter. Recruitment of an external free agent opened wide in 7 years after Jung Woo-ram and Shim Soo-chang in 2016. The will to get out of the bottom for three consecutive years was fully revealed.
However, 2 out of 3 recruits are very familiar. After joining Hanwha in 2010, Taeyang Lee wore a Hanwha uniform for 10 years before transferring to SK (now SSG) through a trade in June 2020. After wearing a Hanwha uniform in 2008, Oh Seon-jin went to Samsung as a trade in June 2021 and returned after a year and a half.
Chae Eun-seong is different. Chae Eun-seong, who joined LG in 2009 as a foster player, had been a one-club man for 14 years until last year, but this time, he signed a six-year contract worth 9 billion won and settled for the first time at Hanwha. There are some close players, but you have to adapt quickly to a new team with a different environment and culture.
On the 29th, Hanwha departed for the Arizona spring camp through Incheon International Airport. When Chae Eun-seong, who appeared in a clean suit that day, was asked how he felt about leaving the camp, he said, “I don’t know yet,” with a bewildered expression. Chae Eun-seong said, “It’s the first time I’m going to a different camp (not LG), so I think I’ll have to adapt.”
Chae Eun-seong said, “I haven’t met the players yet, so I haven’t been able to get close to them. I’m still looking forward to training with young players. I’m the type to joke around a lot, but I think I need to get along with new players. Adaptation to the new team was set as the goal of the camp.
On the other hand, Lee Tae-yang and Oh Seon-jin were full of composure. Lee Tae-yang said, “Hanwha camp is familiar yet awkward. What’s funny is that people have changed a lot since I’ve been away for two and a half years. Especially, the place I went this year is the place I went to the year I was traded, so I feel new. I go to camp every year, but I’m excited, worried, and nervous. it does,” he said.
Oh Seon-jin said with a calm expression, “I don’t feel like transferring because I’ve just left the team more than Taeyang. It’s been 3 years since I’ve been to an overseas camp, so I wonder if it’s been that long. I just want to prepare for the season.”
The mood of the three players is different, but the expectations of the team are shared by all three players. Jung Woo-ram, who took over as the new captain, welcomed the team, saying, “The joining of one or two players may or may not change the team, but it is still positive.”
Jung Woo-ram said, “(Chae) Eun-seong was on a good team called LG, so I want him to teach his juniors about a good culture. He also said that he felt and learned a lot at Samsung. There must be some things he didn’t know about because the players on our team were only at Hanwha, but I think we can create synergy with those players.”