NC wants to catch Lee Yongchan "I made an offer, I'm talking to you many times"

Dec 10, 2024

이용찬(오른쪽). Sports Chosun DB

The NC Dinos are showing their will to stay on FA pitcher Lee Yong-chan.

Veteran pitcher Lee Yong-chan declared his first FA after the 2020 season. A former first-designated high school graduate of the Doosan Bears in 2007, he played for Doosan for more than a decade.

However, there were many twists and turns in the contract process as he became an FA right after elbow surgery. He built his body during personal training and even held a showcase, but the contract did not go through easily.

In the end, he couldn't sign a contract even after the opening of the 2021 season. However, NC, which needed to reinforce the bullpen at the time, actively moved after the opening, and eventually signed an FA on May 20 of that year on the condition of up to 2.7 billion won for 3+1 years.

Lee Yong-chan, who went between starting and bullpen at Doosan, has been a closer for four consecutive seasons since joining NC. In the 2023 season, he recorded 29 saves, the most in a single season.

Lee Yong-chan, who suffered some ups and downs this season, applied for a second FA after fulfilling his contract with NC.

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Jang Hyun-sik, who moved to the LG Twins, hit a four-year, 5.2 billion won jackpot, and FA bullpen pitchers such as Kim Won-joong (up to 5.4 billion won for four years), Koo Seung-min (up to 2.1 billion won for two+2 years), and Noh Kyung-eun (up to 2.5 billion won for two+1 years) who stayed with SSG Landers continue to make a big hit. However, after that, the bullpen FA market has calmed down somewhat.

Amid rumors of another bullpen FA Kim Kang-ryul's transfer, Lee Yong-chan is also watching the market.

Among the three internal FA, NC signed bullpen pitcher Lim Jung-ho first. The first goal was achieved for now, with Lim Jung-ho completing his three-year signing on Nov. 28 for up to 1.2 billion won.

NC is clearly showing its willingness to hold onto Lee Yong-chan as well. Manager Lee Ho-joon also said of Lee Yong-chan after taking office, `If I remain on our team, I want to use it as a starting pitcher next season" also expressed his conception and interest.

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NC is currently negotiating with Lee Yong-chan's agent several times. The club also offered the terms of the offer, and the player also revealed the scale they wanted. The NC club also offered the terms of the contract 'to not overdo', and Lee Yong-chan is also talking about the conditions he wants.

If the player's mind is more shaky because the NC club is willing to hold on, there is also a possibility of staying. The variable is the possibility of additional recruitment by outside clubs. If other clubs do not offer better conditions than NC, the probability of remaining in Changwon increases.

Meanwhile, NC has not made any special progress after meeting with another internal FA, Kim Sung-wook. They say they will look at the market situation a little more and talk again in the future.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.