The Lotte Giants are preparing to throw another game.
On the 11th, Lotte announced that it had released Jack Rex, who was suffering from knee pain, and had recruited infield multiplayer Nico Goodrum for $400,000 (500 million won).먹튀검증
Lotte is challenging fall baseball for the first time in six years. The momentum that soared from April to May, not knowing how high the sky was, has been broken, but the competition for the top 5 is still ongoing. In the second half, the ranking battle is expected to develop more fiercely.
Lotte, which finished the first half, is struggling to replace foreign pitchers. There is only one card left because the foreign batter was recently replaced.
Both Dan Strayley and Charlie Barnes fell short of expectations in the first half. In particular, Strayley, who was expected to play the role of an ace, only had an average ERA of 4.37 with 3 wins and 5 losses. Average innings per game is about 5 innings. In all 16 appearances, he made only four quality starts (6 or more innings, 3 earned runs or less). His grades were not good, but his ability to digest innings was poor, adding to the burden of the bullpen. His on-base percentage per inning (WHIP) is high at 1.48.
Lotte Barnes.
If Lotte pulls out a replacement card, Strayley is likely to leave. Barnes (5-6, 4.57 ERA) has ups and downs, but is better than at the beginning of the season.
Strayley, in his mid-30s, has a clear downward trend. The four-seam fastball, which recorded 145.8 km/h and 2575.4 revolutions per minute in 2021, fell to 143.0 km/h and 2374.4 this season. An official from the club said, “(Regarding the replacement of foreign pitchers) we are reviewing from various angles,” and “we have no choice but to prepare for (replacements, etc.).”
Jack Rex (left), who recently announced a waiver, and Strayley (center), who continues to struggle. On the right is director Larry Sutton.
Lotte used both foreign player replacement cards before and after the All-Star break last year. After releasing DJ Peters (0.228 batting average in 85 games), Rex was brought in, and they succeeded by sending pitcher Glenn Sparkman (19 games, 2-4, 5.31 ERA) and recruiting Stray Lee. It’s a similar trend this year. An official from Lotte said, “It is the time to increase the number of wins. We need a rebound after the All-Star Game.”
The problem is the market situation. There are not many high-level players, so it is not easy to get a replacement card. The Doosan Bears and KIA Tigers each brought Brandon Waddell and Thomas Panoni, who have already been verified as replacement foreign pitchers, during the season. Clubs are also looking at independent leagues or Taiwan Professional Baseball (CPBL). Lotte general manager Seong Min-gyu visited the U.S. last month and made a list of foreign players before returning. An official from the club said, “There are not many pitchers in the US market. We are trying to find out as much as possible, but it is not easy to find a player who wants to be ‘enough’.”