It’s hard to imagine wearing a team uniform other than the Hanwha Eagles. Once you start with the Eagles, you’re an Eagle for life. Veteran pitcher Jang Min-jae, 33, has agreed to a free agent contract with Hanwha. It comes more than a month after his free agency announcement on March 18.
The contract is expected to be for up to three years and a total of 700-800 million won. That’s less than Jang Si-hwan (36-3 years, $930 million), who re-signed last winter. Hanwha retained catcher Choi Jae-hoon (34-5, 5.4 billion won) in the 2021 offseason. 안전놀이터 It’s the third straight year they’ve kept an internal free agent.
Hanwha presented Jang with contract terms last month and waited for a response. It took time for the two sides to come to an agreement.
Neither Jang Min-jae nor Hanwha could let go of their grip.
A graduate of Gwangju Il-Go, Jang was drafted in the third round of the 2009 rookie draft. He spent 15 years as a Hanwha player. He is currently the longest tenured Hanwha player in Daejeon Baseball Stadium. Oh Sun-jin, 34, who joined the team in 2008, a year before Jang, was selected by the Lotte Giants in the second round of the draft last month.
Since Jang turned pro in 2009, Hanwha has played fall baseball only once, in 2018. That was when Han Yong-duk led the team. That year, Jang Min-jae started 22 of 26 games and pitched 119⅓ innings. He went 6-8.
In 2009, when he joined the team, Hanwha finished eighth out of eight teams. In the 15 seasons leading up to this year, they finished last eight times.
He’s been through a long dark period, and he’s stuck with a team on the rise. He waits for his best friend, Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, to return one day.
Last season, when the team hit rock bottom, he struggled.
He appeared in 32 games (25 starts) and pitched a career-high 126⅔ innings. He went 7-8 with a 3.55 ERA, tying for the most wins on the team and setting a new career high.
“I was always ready to start,” he said, seizing the opportunity that arose when two foreign pitchers went down with injuries shortly after opening day. The veteran, who has been a starter and middle reliever, led the starting lineup with aplomb.
In January, he signed a new contract for 115 million won. It was the first time in three years that he returned to a billion-dollar salary. It was the highest amount in his 15 years as a professional.
However, he struggled this season before his free agency. He started the season as a starter, but his roster spot was revoked twice due to poor performance. He was relieved of his starting duties and returned to the bullpen. In 25 games, he went 3-8 with one save and a 4.83 ERA. He pitched 69 innings, less than half of what he did last year. It was a frustrating season.
Going into my mid-30s now. 사설 토토사이트 It’s embarrassing to talk about his prime, but Jang Min-jae’s forkball and fastball are still alive and well. Both Jang and Hanwha needed each other.