To address their bullpen issues in the early going, the Samsung Lions acquired veteran reliever Kim Tae-hoon from the Kiwoom Heroes in exchange for infielder Lee won-seok and a draft pick on Thursday.
Kim, 31, has spent his entire Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) career with the Heroes, dating back to 2014. In 263 career games, the right-hander has a 26-10 record with 22 saves and 42 holds, along with a 4.59 ERA in 353 innings.
He has a bloated 5.87 ERA over his first eight games this year, covering 7 2/3 innings. But take away his disastrous outing on April 19 against the Lions, when he was charged with three earned runs in just a third of an inning, Kim has a 2.45 ERA.
The Lions are hoping Kim's game against them last week will be an aberration, and that he will maintain the form that saw him post a 3.14 ERA last year and a 3.22 ERA the season before that.
The Lions recently removed Oh Seung-hwan, the all-time KBO saves leader with 374, from the closer role on the heels of his early-season struggles. Oh, who sported a career 1.93 ERA prior to this season, has an uncharacteristic 4.50 ERA this season in 10 appearances. The 40-year-old has also lost some zip on his signature fastball and has walked five batters in just 10 innings already. He issued only 13 walks in 57 innings in 2022.
In Lee, the Heroes are getting a savvy hitter with some defensive flexibility. In a lineup full of left-handed bats, the right-handed Lee adds some versatility, too.
Through 19 games this season, Lee currently leads the league with a .486 on-base percentage. He is also fourth with a .362 batting average and fifth with an on-base plus slugging (OPS) of .969. He batted cleanup for the Lions in each of the past three games.
The Heroes are second-to-last in the team batting average at .247 and third-to-last in team OPS at .675.
The 36-year-old Lee made his KBO debut in 2005 with the Lotte Giants. He later played for the Doosan Bears before joining the Lions as a free agent in 2017.
Lee can handle both corner infield positions. The Heroes have a 21-year-old first-round pick, Kim Whee-jip, as their primary third baseman, but have had a revolving door at first base.
Their first basemen have combined for a .119 batting average and a .430 OPS, both the worst marks in the KBO.
This could end up being a classic baseball trade that should benefit both parties involved.
The Heroes also got a third-round draft pick for this year. They will have 13 picks at the draft scheduled for later this year.
Source: Yonhap News Agency