by STEVE HAN | @steve_han
editor@charactermedia.com
There goes another one. South Korea’s star left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun will not be pitching in the major leagues next year after he failed to reach an agreement with the San Diego Padres before Thursday’s deadline, according to multiple reports.
Kim’s nixed deal with the Padres comes only two weeks after another South Korean pitcher, Yang Hyeon-jong, fell short of signing with a major league ballclub after his team, the Kia Tigers, rejected the bid that would’ve allowed him to negotiate a move.
The Padres began a 30-day negotiation period to sign Kim after they made a winning bid of $2 million in a private auction for his services. The SK Wyverns, Kim’s South Korean team, accepted the offer. Represented by his agent Melvin Roman, Kim was even invited to San Diego by the Padres to tour Petco Park, the club’s home stadium last week, but the two sides could not come to terms during the contract negotiation before Thursday’s deadline.
“It’s regretful that I couldn’t agree on a contract with San Diego, but I thank my team, the SK Wyverns, for allowing me to negotiate with a major league franchise,” Kim told the Korean media. “I also thank the San Diego Padres organization for giving me the opportunity and my agent. I will now return to SK, where I’ll try my best once again. I will try to reach the big leagues once I feel more prepared.”
Had Kim signed with the Padres, he would have been South Korea’s third current player to play in the major leagues alongside Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and Texas Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo.
Kim, 26, will be eligible to sign with a major league team after the 2015 season through the same private auction process. He will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2016 season.
Photo courtesy of Hanstar.net
