After a '7-year KS streak,' bringing in a competitor for a rebuild that lasted only 3 years... '7th, 7th, 7th' — Will Lotte change just by replacing Manager Kim Tae-hyung?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Manager Kim Tae-hyung (59), the competitor who led his team to the Korea Series (KS) for seven consecutive years and three championships, completed a three-year contract with his new team without ever participating in a postseason series.

The Lotte Giants concluded their 2026 season on the 12th with their final regular-season game against the Doosan Bears, finishing with a record of 64 wins, 3 draws, and 77 losses (a .454 winning percentage) in 7th place. This marks their ninth consecutive year missing the postseason since 2017. From 2018 to 2023, Lotte finished 7th, 10th, 7th, 8th, 8th, and 7th, respectively. In October 2023, they signed Manager Kim Tae-hyung to a three-year contract worth a total of 2.4 billion won, hoping for change, but the team finished 7th, 7th, and 7th in the subsequent seasons. The winning percentage also dropped from .472 in 2023, before his arrival, to .454 this year.

Judging solely by results, it is difficult to find any effect from signing Manager Kim Tae-hyung. However, to properly evaluate the past three years, one must also consider what kind of roster Lotte entrusted to him and how things have changed in the meantime.

In fact, an environment lacking external free agent (FA) support was not unfamiliar to Manager Kim. Even during his time with Doosan, after signing left-handed pitcher Jang Won-jun ahead of the 2015 season, there were no significant external FA reinforcements. Rather, key players departed one after another, but new players filled the voids in what is known as "reservoir baseball," achieving the feat of reaching the Korea Series for seven consecutive years.

Lotte likely also took note of Manager Kim's ability to manage short series, as well as his eye for scouting and developing players. They had been stuck in the lower half of the standings for several years, securing high picks in the rookie draft, and had gathered a certain number of promising prospects.

However, his success with Doosan was not replicated at Lotte. In particular, the conditions for strengthening the roster were not favorable. Ahead of the 2023 season, before Manager Kim's arrival, Lotte invested a total of 17 billion won in contracts: four years and 8 billion won with catcher Yoo Gang-nam (34), four years and 5 billion won with infielder Noh Jin-hyuk (37), and up to 4 billion won over three plus one year with pitcher Han Hyun-hee (33). However, these signings did not yield the expected results, leaving only the salary cap burden associated with high-value contracts.

After Manager Kim's arrival, the only external FA signing was veteran infielder Kim Min-sung (38), who joined via a sign-and-trade deal on a two-plus-one-year contract worth a total of 900 million won in 2024. Manager Kim had to build his roster through the development of existing resources and trades without aggressive external FA reinforcements, but even that proved difficult.

Despite these disappointments, the framework of the player pool began to take shape gradually over the past three years. The most notable change is in the center line. Son Seong-bin (24) also emerged as a starting catcher this year, recording a .267 batting average, 8 home runs, and 40 RBIs in 129 games. This provided new options for the position, which had previously relied heavily on Yoo Gang-nam.

Go Seung-min (26), who had moved between the infield and outfield, settled into the starting second baseman role from 2024 and continued to perform well this year with a .288 batting average, 16 home runs, and 75 RBIs in 112 games. Jeon Min-jae (27), who joined via trade from Doosan, established himself as the starting shortstop this season with a .278 batting average, 9 home runs, and 70 RBIs in 140 games. Center fielder Hwang Seong-bin (29) also rose to a starting role from Manager Kim's first year in charge and recorded 55 stolen bases this year.

Changes also appeared on the pitcher's mound. This year, all five of Lotte's starting pitchers completed the required innings (144 innings). This is a first in KBO League history since the establishment of the 10th-team system in 2015. It is particularly significant that three domestic starting pitchers—Park Se-woong (31), Na Gyun-an (28), and Kim Jin-wook (24)—all met the required innings threshold.

In the first half of last year, the team rose to 3rd place with a record of 47 wins, 3 draws, and 39 losses, confirming the possibility of competing in the upper tier. Although they collapsed with a 12-game losing streak in the second half, they left behind expectations that they could compete through the growth and proper utilization of existing resources. There is no need to erase the manager's contribution for creating the outline of a different player pool than three years ago by giving players opportunities and assigning them roles.

Manager Kim cannot avoid criticism. If one expected the development and consistency shown during his Doosan days, the result of finishing 7th for three consecutive years is certainly disappointing. In particular, they failed to sustain the upward momentum from the first half of last year, and this year, despite the starting rotation setting meaningful records, they failed to make the postseason. The responsibility for failing to complete a player depth capable of enduring 144 games and stable game management also lies with the field staff. Manager Kim himself apologized to fans before the final game on the 12th, stating, "If I couldn't produce results within three years, it is the manager's responsibility."

Manager Kim's three years, expressed as 7th-7th-7th, is a result that prompts Lotte to reflect on its roster construction and development system. While the manager should also be held accountable for failing to sufficiently develop existing resources, the club must simultaneously answer why it has been unable to consistently build a roster capable of competing in the postseason despite securing high draft picks for a long period.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original