Choi Ji-Man joins Kim Ha-Sung in the lineup.
The San Diego Padres have acquired Ji-Man Choi in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The San Diego and Pittsburgh organizations officially announced on the 2nd (Korean time) that “Pittsburgh sent left-hander Rich Hill and first baseman Choi Ji-Man to San Diego, and in exchange, San Diego sent three players to Pittsburgh: left-hander Jackson Wolf, outfielder Estua Sueiro, and first baseman Alfonso Rivas”.
This marks the second time in nine months that Choi, who was traded to Pittsburgh from the Tampa Bay Rays last November, has changed teams and joined forces with Kim Ha-seong.
San Diego acquired Choi because the Padres were in need of a power-hitting left-hander and a designated hitter.
As MLB.com notes, “The Padres have filled two important positional holes with one trade. The Padres had a huge need for a lefty and rotation depth. With Michael Wakar on the disabled list, Hill will join the starting lineup and Choi will be the left-handed hitter with the power the Padres have been looking for to start as a designated hitter against right-handed pitching.
However, Choi will likely use the platoon approach in San Diego. “Choi will remain on the bench when facing left-handed pitching, giving two right-handed catchers, Gary Sanchez and Luis Camposano, a chance to start,” MLB.com said.
San Diego is Choi’s eighth club since his arrival in the United States in 2009. He has played for the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay, and Pittsburgh. Five of those teams, the Angels, Yankees, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, and Pittsburgh, where he made his debut.
In 23 games this season, Choi is batting .205 (15-for-73) with six home runs, 11 RBIs, nine runs scored, and a .731 OPS. Since returning from his Achilles injury, however, he has been hot, hitting .268 (11-for-41) with four home runs, nine RBIs, six runs scored, a .930 OPS, and a wRC+ of 140 in 14 games. Most notably, he hit a leadoff solo home run in the second inning of a 3-2 win over San Diego on March 27.
MLB.com wrote, “With this, San Diego has once again confirmed that they are buyers, not sellers. They believe they can turn around a disappointing season.” “Choi became the first Korean to play in the World Series in 2020. I’m sure Ha-Sung Kim will be thrilled to have him as a new teammate.토스카지노
San Diego is 52-55 on Day 1, good for fifth place in the National League West and the seventh wild-card spot. The three wild-card spots, the postseason cutoff, are held by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, and Milwaukee Brewers. That means they are tied for the third wild card. San Diego is five games behind them.
Pittsburgh, which was battling for first and second place in the division until mid-June, has fallen off a cliff and is out of the postseason with a 47-58 record and fourth place in the NL Central.