Is this the effect of the grading system? Many teams are paying keen attention to left-hander Lim Jeong-ho, who has become a free agent.

NC Dinos pitcher Lim Jung-ho became the first free agent after the end of this season. After graduating from Sungkyunkwan University, he was selected as the 30th overall pick in the third round of the 2013 rookie draft by NC. Born in 1990 and in his mid-30s, he has a clear career as a left-handed bullpen pitcher.
He pitched 48 innings in 80 games in 2015, his debut season in the first division, and contributed to the victory in the 2020 season, when NC won its first championship, with a record of 2 wins, 2 losses and 12 holds with an ERA of 4.61 in 69 games.

Since then, he has recorded 15 holds by regaining his power as a left-hander in the 2023 season after suffering from injuries, sluggishness, and rehabilitation due to elbow surgery.

There is no overwhelming performance or title, but he is a veteran bullpen agent with abundant experience. That is also the charm of Lim Jung-ho as a left-handed pitcher. On top of that, it is relatively less burdensome because it is a C grade based on the FA rating system.

This year, the FA market has seen the price of bullpen pitchers soar to the extent that it is called the "bullpens pitcher chaos." As right-hander Jang Hyun-sik transferred from the KIA Tigers to the LG Twins, he received a four-year guarantee of 5.2 billion won. LG, which spent more than 5 billion won on bullpen agents, suffered the loss of its first designation as compensation player Kang Hyo-jong.

Lotte Giants also succeeded in catching key bullpen pitchers Kim Won-joong and Koo Seung-min, but they paid a considerable amount of expenditure on the condition of up to 5.4 billion won for four years (Kim Won-joong) and up to 2.1 billion won for two years (Goo Seung-min).

SSG Landers also signed an FA contract with Noh Kyung-eun, a bullpen pitcher in his 40s, exceeding expectations of up to 2.5 billion won for 2+1 years.

As bullpen pitchers with high ransom overall drew attention, the rest of the players, including Lim Jung-ho, Kim Kang-ryul, Lee Yong-chan, and Moon Sung-hyun, did not receive the spotlight in the beginning. However, most of the current big-time FA players, except for Choi Won-tae, have completed their contracts. 메이저사이트

Now that clubs are entering their next plans, they can beat the recruitment calculator around the players who remain in the market. There is still demand for bullpen pitchers. While Kim Kang-ryul is also said to be in contact with several clubs, Lim Jung-ho is also receiving attention from multiple clubs. Multiple baseball officials said, "We are also interested, but it is not easy to recruit," and "I understand that several clubs are in contact with Lim Jung-ho right now."

NC, the original team, also met with Lim once and talked to him, but if competition intensifies, it may not be easy to stay if the price of the team soars. As a C-grade player, he has less burden on compensation players. This is a card worth considering for a team that needs to strengthen its left-handed bullpen. Where is Lim going.