Isn't this almost free? Son Ah-seop's trade, why did you sell it at such a low price

Jul 31, 2025

Isn't this almost free? Son Ah-seop's trade, why did you sell it at such a low price
A game between the NC Dinos and the Hanwha Eagles at Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan on the 20th. NC Son Ah-seop cheers after hitting a hit in the bottom of the second inning. Ulsan=Park Jae-man Reporter pjm@sportschosun.com/2025.05.20/



This is a bargain trade. Would he have handed over 'Everge-type batter' to such a low condition.

NC Dinos and Hanwha Eagles succeeded in a special big deal at the trade deadline. NC sends outfielder Son Ah-seop, and receives one third-round draft pick and 300 million won in cash for 2026 rookie draft. Instead of receiving players, a deal was made with one draft and cash.

From Hanwha's point of view, it is a transaction that accurately scratches the most itchy part. It is simply a gain of 'hack'. No one knows that Hanwha has had a thirst for outfield reinforcement over the past few years.




We needed a league-leading outfielder who had the power to change the atmosphere of the batting lineup itself, not just an ordinary outfielder. Hanwha, which is currently ranked first in the league, saw it as the last card needed to challenge for the presidential election.

Isn't this almost free? Son Ah-seop's trade, why did you sell it at such a low price
A game between the LG Twins and the NC Dinos at Jamsil Stadium on the 19th. NC Son Ah-seop, Logan, and Riley are greeting LG players. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.06.19/
So rumors continued to circulate that Hanwha was actively engaged in trading to recruit outfielders. Hanwha jumped up and down saying there was no outfielder trade, but in fact, Hanwha continued to move. It just didn't happen. However, Son Ah-seop's trade took off at the deadline.

Hanwha succeeded in trading under conditions that prevented player leakage and were less burdensome. This is the most ideal result. The most crucial reason for clubs' hesitation in trading is to give up players' is a burden. There are sometimes cases in which players who pay in return for trade are more successful, and in that case, the club will be directly hit.




On top of that, the third-round rookie nomination right is not a big burden for a team that shouts 'WinNow' like Hanwha. 300 million won in cash is also not a huge amount of money from the standpoint of running a baseball team.

Isn't this almost free? Son Ah-seop's trade, why did you sell it at such a low price
Daejeon Hanwha Life Ball Park on the 1st. Ryu Hyun-jin and Son Ah-seop are greeting happily. Daejeon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.2/
The question here is, then, why NC gave up Son Ah-seop at such a 'Wow Price'. As mentioned earlier, it is somewhat shabby to say that the third round of rookie nomination rights and 300 million won in cash were received on the condition that Son Ah-seop was given a player. In particular, in the case of the 2026 rookie draft this year, there is no special player in recent years to the extent that it is called 'treasure search' after the second and third rounds except for the first round. This means that the third round of nomination is very unlikely to be a lottery. The same goes for 300 million won in cash. There can be enough criticism that it would have been better if it had been able to receive a little better condition or a suitable level of players.

You can read the direction of the NC club here. NC sent out Kim Sung-wook, born in 1993, who was not given a chance to play in the first division this year, and Son Ah-seop, a veteran born in 1988, who is about to become an FA, and recruited Lee Woo-sung, born in 1994, and Choi Won-joon, born in 1997.




Isn't this almost free? Son Ah-seop's trade, why did you sell it at such a low price
A game between the NC Dinos and the Hanwha Eagles at Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan on the 20th. NC Son Ah-seop is warming up. Ulsan=Park Jae-man Reporter pjm@sportschosun.com/2025.05.20/
In particular, in the trade with the KIA Tigers, NC traded well under favorable conditions by giving up two pitchers (Kim Si-hoon, Han Jae-seung) who were classified as second-tier players in the team and recruiting Choi Won-joon and Lee Woo-sung, who can play as the main players in the first division.

However, in the case of Son Ah-seop, it is also true that the terms of the trade are somewhat disappointing. Son Ah-seop, who earned his second FA qualification ahead of the 2022 season, left his former team Lotte Giants for 15 years after his debut and moved to NC. NC also wanted a batter to take charge of the leadoff and outfield, and recruited outside with great expenditure. However, it can be said that the possibility of signing an FA contract with Son Ah-seop was slim in the first place when the last season of the contract was more than two months away. This is a result that will inevitably hurt the pride of the player.

Of course, no one can guarantee the outcome of the trade. Son Ah-seop may be a key member with his first career win in Hanwha, but on the contrary, a rookie selected by NC with the third round of nomination may grow into a player who performs better than Son Ah-seop. In addition, the profit and loss statement of the trade could also be rewritten depending on Son Ah-seop's future course of qualifying as an FA after the end of the season.

However, a terrifyingly cold-headed judgment led to another big deal. Rumors of a big trade eventually became a reality.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.