The Lotte Giants faced a variable ahead of the start of spring camp. However, thanks to the wide move in the FA market, variables were blocked as much as possible. Lee In-bok (32), who emerged as the Cinderella of the starting lineup with 9 wins last year, underwent elbow surgery.
On the 27th, a Lotte official said, “This morning, Lee In-bok underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow. He received it safely and is expected to return around May or June,” he explained.
Last year, Lee In-bok recorded an average ERA of 4.19 with 9 wins, 9 losses and 1 hold in 126⅓ innings in 26 games (23 starts). He won 8 wins in the first half alone, and the first 10 wins in his debut were also in sight, but the pace was somewhat broken in the second half.
However, it was one of Lotte’s best harvests last year. In the meantime, except for Park Se-woong, a ray of light was shed on the Lotte starters, who had no native selection. Since 2020, he has tried to change by installing two-seam, and since last year, he has been in charge of one axis of the starting lineup with his skills in full bloom. Because it was a flower that bloomed late, all the members of Lotte couldn’t help but smile at Lee In-bok’s performance.
Lee In-bok, who received an annual salary of 85 million won last year, is likely to break through the 100 million mark this year. However, he was removed from the spring camp roster after undergoing surgery on a bone fragment in his elbow in preparation for this season, and he started the season late.
Lee In-bok is a situation that I personally have no choice but to regret. From Lotte’s point of view, one element of expectation from the starters has disappeared. However, Lotte was able to minimize the variable of Lee In-bok’s departure thanks to the recruitment of submarine free agent pitcher Han Hyun-hee at the end of the free agency market. 스포츠토토
On the 17th, Lotte signed an FA contract with Han Hyun-hee for a contract period of 3+1 years, a down payment of 300 million, a guaranteed annual salary of 1.5 billion, up to 3.7 billion, and a total of 4 billion won. He was a Class A free agent, but due to recent ups and downs, fewer clubs were looking for him. However, Han Hyun-hee’s hometown team Lotte made a bold decision to expand pitching depth.
This is Han Hyun-hee, who showed off his versatility by making a 10-win season as a starting pitcher and taking the hold king as a bullpen pitcher. First of all, Lotte was planning to compete for selection.
However, due to Lee In-bok’s unexpected departure, the recruitment of Han Hyun-hee became even more a ‘God’s move’. Without Lee In-bok and Han Hyun-hee, pitchers such as Na Kyun-an, Seo Jun-won, and Kim Jin-wook, who had not yet proven themselves as full-time starting pitchers, would have had to endure until June. However, with Han Hyun-hee joining, it was possible to minimize the gap and variables of Lee In-bok’s departure.