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Jae-gyun Hwang is back in play.
Last month, that didn't seem to be the case. The Lotte Giants could only post one of their two burgeoning stars, and they chose Ah-seop Son, a left-handed, OBP-oriented outfielder, rather than Hwang, a third baseman who found a way to tap into unforeseen power this past season.
The Giants' priorities seemed backwards at first glance, and second glance for that matter. Hwang only had one year of KBO obligation remaining, while Son had two, meaning they'd lose Hwang without receiving compensation if they didn't post him this time around. Also, Hwang plays third base, a position of far greater scarcity this offseason.
The market spelled it out:
On holiday this week but hard to ignore this bit of news: No MLB club placed a bid on posted Korean OF Son Ah-seop
— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) November 24, 2015
The Giants don't really lose anything from going out of order, because they'll get the opportunity to post Son again during a far weaker free-agent class next year. Perhaps they wanted to see what kind of deal they could strike when they actually hold some leverage over the player's future, but Son played the wrong position to make such posturing effective. Whatever the case, the only thing that might be worse for the wear is Son's ego.
Hwang should be more enticing, as David Freese is the only full-time third baseman available via free agency. Fittingly, he was the second-most popular free agent solution in our offseason plan project. Should the White Sox show interest in Hwang, I will give the effort my full endorsement if only for the material.
But wait, there's more:
#Maeda had a meeting with the Carp today and told them he wants to play in MLB. The Carp hasn't posted him yet. https://t.co/erMhHjRBtf
— Yasuko Yanagita (@YYHochi) November 24, 2015
CARP CARP CARP. Time to put Zach Phillips to work.
In acquisition news that actually happened, the White Sox lost Kyle Drabek to the Arizona Diamondbacks, so they filled the "former first-round pick and one-time Phillies pitching prospect" chasm by signing Phillipe Aumont to a minor-league contract.