Son Ah-seop asked about the possibility of going to Ulsan and Wales for 'FA Mia Crisis'...

*This content was translated by AI.

"FA Mia Crisis." Is there a possibility that Son Ah-seop will go to Ulsan? It's practically thin. "It's not realistic."

Can free agent (FA) Son Ah-seop (38, former Hanwha Eagles), who is still unable to find a new destination, play in the Futures League wearing an Ulsan Wales uniform. Son Ah-seop's choice to go to Ulsan, both inside and outside the baseball community, is known to be virtually slim. Considering the FA compensation issue surrounding Son Ah-seop and the team's identity, there are voices that it is not realistic at all.

Son Ah-seop, the main character of the "KBO League's most hits" with 2,618 hits, is a hot topic in the baseball world recently. Son Ah-seop is the hitter who has hit the most hits in KBO league history, but he has yet to find a new team since his third FA declaration. Son Ah-seop, who was traded from the NC Dinos to the Hanwha Eagles in the 2025 season, exercised his FA rights after hitting a batting average of 0.288 (107 hits in 372 times at bat) and a home run and 50 RBIs (on-base plus slugging) of 0.723.

Son Ah-seop's future was also a hot topic at the Ulsan Wales tryout site held at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium on the 13th and 14th. There was also a coaching staff who asked the reporters, "Where on earth is Son Ah-seop going?" That's how much it was an issue.

Some say that Son Ah-seop's transfer to the first-team stage after proving his value at the Ulsan Wales club is also one way. This is because Son Ah-seop has only seen outfield defense in Hanwha in the 2025 season. There were also only three games in which he started as an outfielder.

When asked by Star News, Kim Dong-jin, head of Ulsan Wales, said, "In fact, considering the budget size and purpose of our civic team, the reality is poor. Above all, the player will also have a great desire to add a hit in the first-team game." General manager Kim Dong-jin seemed to deeply understand the player's position, recalling his relationship as the team's front desk when Son Ah-seop stayed at Lotte in 2017.

If so, will compensation be incurred if Son Ah-seop signs a contract with Ulsan Wales. In response, the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization) responded to Star News' inquiries, saying, "Basically, Ulsan clubs are not subject to the rules," but added, "However, I think I can tell you after discussion because we are currently organizing it in a regulatory manner."

When asked by Star News, a baseball official who observed the tryout said, "If Son Ah-seop's situation continues to flow to a standstill like this, I think Hanwha, the original team, will still be the most likely." It is difficult to draw the attention of other clubs with a cool head," he said.

After all, the current time is not on Son's side. With the start of spring camp just around the corner, the position of the veteran who has not found his team will inevitably narrow further. Even if Son Ah-seop chooses to stay, it is difficult to expect the same guarantees or exceptional treatment as in the past. This cold reality faced by the main character of the record of the most hits in KBO league history in the twilight of his career clearly shows the harshness of the FA market.

The entire KBO league is paying attention to which team's uniform will Son Ah-seop, the icon of "Geunseong," who has accumulated 2,618 hits in his career, wear the bat again. Meanwhile, Hanwha is scheduled to leave the spring camp through Incheon International Airport on the 23rd.

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*This content was translated by AI.