San Diego is a team of opportunity for Go Woo-seok (25), who used to guard the tailgate of the LG Twins in the KBO League and has been waiting in the bullpen for the San Diego Padres in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) starting this year.San Diego, which had below-expected results last season despite having an ultra-luxurious team, due to a loose tailgate, is determined to strengthen its tailgate this winter.It may be seen as collecting relatively inexpensive bullpen pitchers due to their tight financial situation, but it is an inevitable choice for San Diego, which has difficulty receiving broadcasting rights for the time being due to the bankruptcy of the local broadcasting station.San Diego announced on the 4th (Korean time) that it signed a 2+1 year contract with Go Woo-seok. The club did not reveal the specific terms of the contract, but American media reported that it was worth a total of $4.5 million (about 5.9 billion won) over two years.If the performance option is fulfilled for two years, the contract can be extended for another year by agreement between the player and the club, and in this case, the total amount Go Woo-seok will receive for three years increases to $9.4 million (about 12.3 billion won).
San Diego is ranked 3rd in the National League West Division with a final record of 82 wins and 80 losses in the 2023 season and a winning percentage of 0.506.There are many reasons why San Diego performed poorly, but the most notable weakness was the bullpen.Last season, San Diego had 28 blown saves, the second most in the National League. It is also the highest number in the club’s history.If the bullpen fires frequently, it is natural for the win rate to drop in close games.San Diego’s one-point game record last season was only 9 wins, 23 losses, and a winning percentage of 0.281, and its worst performance in overtime was 2 wins, 12 losses, and a winning percentage of 0.143.If Go Woo-seok successfully makes a soft landing on the MLB stage, he is expected to get ample opportunities to play even if he does not take over as the closing pitcher.San Diego gave up on renewing the contract with closer Josh Hader, who qualified as a free agent.The recruitment of Go Woo-seok is an extension of that.San Diego coach Mike Silt, who had a good impression of the ‘Korean firefighter’ by using Oh Seung-hwan (Samsung Lions) as the starting closer for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017, acknowledged that it was a ‘closer candidate deal’ ahead of the announcement of Ko Woo-seok’s recruitment and said, ” “We can now flexibly operate the bullpen according to necessary 스포츠토토존 circumstances according to the opponent’s lineup, etc.”