‘I have to throw it away to live’ Salary dumping attempt, veteran high-paid second draft comes out
This is nothing new. In previous drafts, high-profile, high-paying players have come off the disabled list. However, this time around, the trend is likely to be even stronger.
With the salary cap in place, teams have opted to use the second round as a way to reduce team salaries. These are key players who are too valuable to be placed on the disabled list. However, teams have put them on the market in an effort to get their salaries below the salary cap threshold.
SSG is at the center of this trend. A steady stream of big contracts over the last year has caused team salaries to skyrocket, and teams are looking to address this with the second round of the draft on April 22. There’s been a lot of talk in baseball circles about SSG not including the infielders they signed as free agents and the pitchers they locked up to multi-year deals on their 35-man roster for the second round.
In effect, the free agents hit the secondary market, leaving other teams in deep trouble. While their salaries are high and they’ll cost you $400 million for a first-round pick in the second round, their immediate power is appealing. For the infielders, double-digit home runs are a reasonable expectation. Pitchers, if they return to form, are tricky starters for all hitters.굿모닝토토 도메인
SSG is not alone in this move. I’ve heard that a local club hasn’t placed a free agent player on the disabled list either. While the salary isn’t a huge burden, it does mean that they’re rebuilding their bullpen and this player won’t be a big part of the new setup.
The Secondary Draft is where teams finalize their roster and payroll from the starting point of the StubHub League. After the second round, teams will likely focus on trades or free agent signings.
It’s not unfamiliar. In past drafts, the team has acquired national team right fielder Lee Jin-young in the second round. Jung Geun-woo, one of the best second basemen in KBO history, also donned his last uniform through the second round. Usually, it’s an unheralded second-team player or a promising rookie who changes jerseys in the second round, but every once in a while, a big-name player is selected.
Just like then, some teams are expected to lose money due to their depth. In the past, Doosan has been an unwilling second-draft favorite, but this time it’s LG, the defending champions. LG has a particularly good depth of middle relief pitchers. However, in order to protect their prospects, they can’t keep all of their pitchers. “If there is a team that wants a pitcher with immediate power, I think our pitcher will be selected,” said a member of the LG team.
In other words, it is possible to reorganize the game to some extent. The bullpen strength could fluctuate as free agents change uniforms and pitchers move. The second draft in four years, which will be held in November 2019, could be a game-changer for the 2024 season.