Failure to renew the contract → Refuse to go to Taiwan because of family? It's possible to return to KBO...But not now
Feb 06, 2025
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Socrates, a Dominican Republic batter who played for the KIA Tigers for three years in the 2022-2024 season, reached the peak of his KBO league career with his team's combined victory last year. He had a batting slump in the first half of last year, with a career batting average of .327 hits, 63 home runs and 270 RBIs in the KBO League for three seasons.
At one point, the rumor of replacing foreign batters was seriously discussed. However, head coach Lee Bum-ho chose to accompany Socrates to the end together, and as a result, it was a success. Socrates was able to proudly wear the winning ring as the team's unified winning member while also performing well in the Korean Series.
However, Kia chose to replace the foreign hitter after agonizing over a contract for a foreign hitter after the end of the season. Instead of renewing the contract with Socrates, the breakup was confirmed by recruiting Patrick Wisdom, a batter from the major leaguer with long-range power and explosive power. Considering Socrates' age, skills, and reinforcement of KIA's long-shot power, it was judged that it was right to go with a new player.
However, KIA released Socrates' right to withhold on a grand scale. It was the lifting of the withholding right, which made it a completely free status so that it could sign contracts with any team in the KBO League as well as overseas leagues. Considering that Socrates got along well with KIA players for three years and contributed greatly to the championship, the KIA team made a big decision.
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However, with the news that Socrates once refused to go to Taiwan, his destination built up in the fog this season. In Taiwan's CPBL League, many foreign players who played in the KBO League in the past are playing, and there are many cases where they are on a roll with good treatment. In addition, he has the advantage of being able to enter the KBO League as a substitute for the KBO League during the season while playing in the CPBL. This season, a number of players who have played in the KBO League in the past, including Boschser, Sean Morimando and Daniel Mengden, will play on the Taiwanese stage.
For this reason, there have been steadily talks that some Taiwanese clubs are interested in Socrates, and it has been reported that Wei Quan Dragons recently failed to sign a contract. Taiwan"Liberty Sports" was recently negotiated with the head of the group Wei Quan "Socrates, but he was unable to come to Taiwan due to family-related reasons" reported the revelation. In Taiwanese media, Socrates is considered the best foreign typing card. However, Socrates seems to have expressed his intention to say that he cannot join the Taiwanese team immediately due to personal reasons.
The Taiwanese media said `Socrates is the best hitter who can recruit any club right away. If it's not on the level of Socrates, everyone is focusing on outside pitchers rather than hitters." So much so that Socrates, the winning member of KIA last year, refused to go to Taiwan for 'one's reason', even though he was considered to be the best treatment in Taiwan.
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However, not immediately. The TOs of foreign hitters from 10 teams, including KIA, are already full, and it can only be talked about again if a player who is sluggish after the season comes out. Recently, however, the variable is that clubs are focusing on bringing new types rather than players who have already finished their first career in the KBO League like Socrates. Although he is a stably proven player, he usually wants more than the existing player when completely replacing foreign players during the season.
However, short-term rentals are possible in the event of an injury. In this case, a verified player like Socrates can be more advantageous.
It is not yet clear what the specific reason for Socrates' refusal to go to Taiwan is, but he can maintain a sense of practice while playing in the Latin American League.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
