He exercised his hard-won right to become a free agent. He became an FA in 14 years after entering the U.S., but struggled in the season ahead of the FA. He played in only 39 games due to injury, and struggled with a 0.163 OPS of 0.624. He continued to display stable defense by recording double-digit home runs for the second consecutive year in Tampa Bay.
Still, demand was not so high. Although it was the worst year for the Mets, six other teams including the Mets announced their intention to recruit Choi. "In addition to the Mets, Toronto, Texas, Chicago White Sox, Washington, and San Diego have also announced their intention to recruit Choi," said Choi Ji-man, an agency GSM. "Among them, Choi is the most active player in dealing with the Mets, and he signed a contract with the Mets considering the playing time of the Major League in the future."
In order for Choi to receive all 3.5 million dollars, he needs to join the Mets 26-man roster. As it is a split contract, he needs to play the season without any injuries to receive all the contracts. "I am confident that I need to be healthy and show good performance in the spring camp," Choi said, vowing to show his survival in the big league once again.
He could have chosen stability. According to GSM, there was also a proposal for a Major League contract with a one-year guarantee of 1 million U.S. dollars. However, Choi took the challenge.
The key now is Choi Ji-man's position in the Mets. However, if you look at the first base position, you can't play anymore. The Mets' first baseman has Pete Alonzo, the "Polar Bear" who hit 53 home runs since his first year in the big league in 2019. Alonzo received the Rookie of the Year award with the most home runs by a rookie in the National League. He hit 192 home runs through 2023, his fifth year from 2019 to 2023..
However, the Mets do not have a designated hitter. Although the team has been seeking to recruit a designated hitter in the FA market, it seems that it has failed to narrow its gap with JD Martinez agent Scott Boras. Most of all, the Mets are expected to operate the 2024 season in a different direction from their previous record of shouting "WIN NOW" by investing a large amount of money until last year.
Ahead of the trade deadline last year, they traded veteran ace duo Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, and received promising players through them. Outside, they said their goal is to advance to the postseason as a wild card, but chances are high that they will spend time reorganizing their teams.
If it were a year ago, the Mets would have signed a contract worth over 10 million U.S. dollars in annual salary with Martinez. However, the team turned its direction and predicted that Alonzo and Choi Ji-man would split into first base and designated hitter. If Alonzo plays as designated hitter without burden of defense, it will also benefit Alonzo, who will be in the FA market after the 2024 season.
They are meant for each other. David Stearns, the Mets' manager ahead of the 2024 season, recruited Choi Ji-man, who was previously released by the New York Yankees when he was the general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. Although he did not fully display his talent in the Milwaukee Brewers, he made a turnaround by moving to Tampa Bay through trade.
Had he seen the treatment, he could have switched to Japan. GSM said Choi received a sweet offer from the third base of the Japanese professional baseball league. However, Choi politely declined the offer, saying, "It is not time to play in Japan yet."
No one knows when the last time of his big league career will be. Choi Ji-man, whose future has not always been guaranteed and his uniform has changed several times. At the same time, he is entering his 15th year in the U.S. He could have taken a comfortable path, but he challenged himself again for survival in the big league.
BY: 토토사이트