The king of the 2022-2023 KBO League offseason was definitely Lotte. The limit of three that can be recruited from outside free agents (FA) has been filled. All three of them were significant investments. It was also a differentiated feature that it actively engaged in external blood transfusion, such as recruiting veteran players by keeping an eye on the released player market.
Even if the meaning of the recruited release players is at the level of a lottery in anticipation of a rebound, the fact that they invested a total of 17 billion won in Yu Kang-nam, Noh Jin-hyuk, and Han Hyun-hee to make up for the team’s weaknesses was bound to draw attention. The competitiveness of the center line, which had not been answered for several years, has sharply increased, and this is because the possibility of Lotte’s fall return skyrocketed. And this kind of movement of Lotte is a structure that naturally has no choice but to focus on Seong Min-gyu.
Director Seong showed a tendency to try to make something calmly from the inside after his appointment. There may have been complicated internal circumstances such as investment budgets, but he was not so aggressive in recruiting outsiders. Rather, it was closer to trying to grow internal resources. However, it is definitely a significant change that the Lotte front desk, starting with such a leader, spent a lot of money this time. Now it means that I will try to compete in terms of grades, but in other words, it also means that there is no place to back down. 스포츠토토
As coach Larry Sutton, who took over as manager in the middle of the 2021 season, he has received a strong reinforcement ahead of the final year of the contract period. Director Sutton is a foreign director, but his basic tendency has been evaluated as not foreigner. There is an interpretation that he knows the physiology of the KBO league well because he has experience playing in the KBO league during his active career and has experience as a leader in the KBO league. On the other hand, there are criticisms that he is tactically rigid and does not come out with the exhilaration unique to foreign directors.
Until now, it was built with a limited number of players, and if it was a freak who made his own color in the first team, now that he has recruited three medium and large free agents, there is no reason to make any more excuses. In the end, it is natural to conclude that Sutton’s performance this year holds the hilt as to whether or not to renew the contract. Some say, “Lotte will not be satisfied with the top 5. In addition to grades, we will see Sutton’s ability.”
Whether or not Bishop Sutton remains in office is closely related to his future as the head of the castle. It is known that Seong’s contract with Lotte ended last year, but he will serve as the general manager again this year. Officials familiar with the situation unanimously say, “The option has been executed.”
Although it is not known in detail, it is expected that this year’s performance will have a great impact on whether or not he will be re-confirmed as the head of the seongseong. No matter how good the process is, few clubs will leave the general manager of a team that has not made it to the postseason for four consecutive years. It is more so in the KBO league, where half of the 10 teams receive invitations in the fall. In the end, if both live together, they live together, and in the opposite case, the place is likely to be dangerous. While the strategy of the past three years has not worked as well as expected, the results of 2023, which can be the last challenge, are noteworthy.