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KBO club, pitcher unable to reach agreement in 1st meeting on MLB move

All News 13:50 November 19, 2019

SEOUL, Nov. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korean baseball club SK Wyverns said they failed to come to an agreement with their pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun on his potential move to the majors during their first meeting Tuesday.

Kim, a 31-year-old left-hander, and the Wyverns' general manager Son Cha-hoon met for about 70 minutes in the club's office in Incheon, just west of Seoul, with Kim hoping the club would make him available for interested big league teams this winter.

The team said it was able to reaffirm Kim's desire to pitch in the majors, and the Wyverns will have some internal discussions before meeting with Kim again later.

South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Nov. 18, 2019, after returning home from the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 tournament in Japan. (Yonhap)

South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Nov. 18, 2019, after returning home from the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 tournament in Japan. (Yonhap)

Kim tied his career high with 17 wins and ranked third in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with a 2.51 ERA in 2019. He is hoping to take his second crack at the majors, but Kim is not yet a free agent. The Wyverns must agree to post him first, and the deadline for KBO clubs to post a player is Dec. 5.

Kim was first posted in 2014, and the San Diego Padres, with a posting fee of US$2 million, earned the exclusive negotiating rights with the pitcher for 30 days. But the two sides failed to reach a deal within that period, and Kim stayed put with the Wyverns.

This offseason, the Wyverns and Kim have already traded shots in the PR war. Soon after the Wyverns, the 2018 Korean Series champions, were eliminated in the second round of the postseason, anonymous team officials were quoted as saying in some reports that Kim was too big a part of the Wyverns and he shouldn't consider leaving when the Wyverns are trying to win another championship.

Kim gave an interview with an online baseball writer on Nov. 8, immediately after the end of South Korea's group stage at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 tournament, when he declared his desire to pitch in the big leagues. Kim also took some jabs at the front office for reneging on an earlier pledge to let him explore the major league market.

In addition to his high win total and excellent ERA this year, Kim, who missed the entire 2017 season following Tommy John surgery, pitched 190 1/3 innings, the second-highest total of his career.

Kim Kwang-hyun of South Korea pitches against Chinese Taipei in the teams' Super Round game at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 at ZOZO Marine Stadium in Chiba, Japan. (Yonhap)

Kim Kwang-hyun of South Korea pitches against Chinese Taipei in the teams' Super Round game at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 at ZOZO Marine Stadium in Chiba, Japan. (Yonhap)

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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