FA vs missing hit rate of 40%? If you do this, it's not worth bringing him here for a billion won

Aug 28, 2025

FA vs missing hit rate of 40%? If you do this, it's not worth bringing him here for a billion won
KBO League SSG and KIA match held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 27th. KIA escaped six consecutive losses by winning SSG. Jo Sang-woo is sharing the joy of winning after the game. Incheon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.08.27/



The average ERA in the second half of the year is 7.56. KIA Tigers brought two rookie nomination rights and KRW 1 billion in cash, but they have not found stability.

KIA's Cho Sang-woo made his first save after moving to the team against Incheon SSG Landers on the 27th. But nevertheless, he couldn't smile brightly after the game.

On this day, KIA had a close battle with SSG until the 11th inning of extra time. Both teams failed to score a point until the 10th inning, and KIA took the lead with four points in the top of the 11th inning when the 0-0 close game continued. It seemed to bring the atmosphere of the game completely.




However, when Lee Joon-young, who took the mound in the bottom of the 11th inning, shook by giving up a walk after holding two outs well and allowing a solo home run to Guillermo Herredia, the KIA bench replaced the pitcher. With only one out count left until the victory, the replacement of pitchers was an expression of the will to end the six-game losing streak.

The pitcher who pitched like that is Cho Sang-woo. But Jo Sang-woo didn't finish the game neatly. A bigger crisis came when Ryu Hyo-seung, the first batter he faced, allowed a double, and gave up one more point with a wild pitch with two outs and runners on the second and third bases. It was a dangerous situation because the runner was still at third base after being chased by two points. He ended the game by catching Ahn Sang-hyun with a ground ball to third base, but it wasn't a very refreshing finish.

FA vs missing hit rate of 40%? If you do this, it's not worth bringing him here for a billion won
KBO League SSG and KIA match held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 27th. KIA escaped six consecutive losses by winning SSG. KIA players are sharing the joy of winning after the game. Incheon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.08.27/
Cho Sang-woo, who performed relatively well as a must-win bullpen with 24 holds and an ERA of 4.08 in the first half, is sluggish with one hold, one save and an ERA of 7.56 in 14 games in the second half. The hit rate in the second half reached a whopping 0.405.




A pitcher who has accumulated enough experience as a bullpen pitcher in a must-win group to make 20 saves in the 2019 season and 33 saves in the 2020 season, when he was a member of the Kiwoom Heroes. KIA launched a winning move to recruit Cho Sang-woo, who had been rumored to be traded since the beginning of last season, after the end of the season. Although it did not prevent FA Jang Hyun-sik from transferring, it was his will to minimize bleeding by bringing Cho Sang-woo.

He didn't give up the player right away in a trade with Kiwoom, but that didn't mean there was no price. KIA gave Kiwoom two first and fourth rounds of rookie nomination rights and 1 billion won in cash. KIA cannot select rookies in the first and fourth rounds in the 2026 rookie draft next month. In fact, he gave up more than one key rookie next year. That's how much we exchanged the future and the present of this season.

FA vs missing hit rate of 40%? If you do this, it's not worth bringing him here for a billion won
The match between the KIA Tigers and the LG Twins at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 24th. KIA Cho Sang-woo is catching his breath. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.24/
KIA took a strategic approach by raising Cho Sang-woo's annual salary to 400 million won this season. Cho Sang-woo's salary, which is about to become an FA, has been raised to help motivate players, and the club has also prepared safety measures. This is because Cho Sang-woo is good at transferring, and even if the high compensation is burdensome, he can catch it relatively safely.




However, it is hard to call it a successful trade with the performance shown now. The main reason KIA has been struggling since July is the bullpen. It's because there were so many injured players, but the lineup still has power. However, the entire team fluctuates as the number of games in which defense and bullpen shake increases.

Jo Sang-woo, who should be at the center of the bullpen along with Jung Hae-young and Jeon Sang-hyun as veteran pitchers, is in a more difficult fight as he is shaken by a pitch that falls short of his heyday. However, except for Jo Sang-woo right now, it is even more frustrating because the cards that can be replaced are not clear.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.