San Diego acquires Choi Ji-Hill at trade deadline
Ji-Man Choi, 32, leaves the Pittsburgh Pirates for the San Diego Padres.
“San Diego acquired left-handed pitcher Rich Hill and first baseman Ji-Man Choi from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline,” MLB.com reported on Tuesday.
San Diego sent three prospects to Pittsburgh: left-hander Zack Wolf, outfielder Estuar Sueiro, and first baseman Alfonso Rivas.
San Diego was in desperate need of a left-handed bat and a reliever, and this trade fills those needs.
With Choi heading to San Diego, he will be paired with Kim Ha-seong. Kim came to the United States from the KBO and has been playing in San Diego since 2021.
Choi started his professional career in 2010 by signing with the Seattle Mariners, then moved to the Baltimore Orioles and continued his minor league career.
After breaking into the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016, he spent time with the New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Pittsburgh.
He was traded from Tampa Bay to Pittsburgh in November of last year, reuniting with his new team just over nine months later.
In his major league career, Choi hit .238 with 67 home runs, 233 RBIs and 187 runs scored in 509 games.
This year, he’s batted .205 with six home runs, 11 RBIs and nine runs scored in just 23 games due to injury. Since returning from the disabled list last month, he’s batting .268 with four home runs, nine RBIs, and six runs scored in 14 games.
He didn’t get many opportunities in Pittsburgh as he was put in a platoon system where his playing time was determined by the type of pitcher he faced.
The role expected of him in San Diego is likely to be similar.
“Choi is the left-handed bat San Diego has been looking for,” MLB.com wrote, “and he’s expected to start at designated hitter against right-handed starters and pinch-hit off the bench against left-handed starters.”
“He’s the first Korean hitter to play in the World Series, something Kim Hae-sung, now a teammate, desperately wants,” the publication said of Choi. Choi played in the 2020 World Series with Tampa Bay, where they finished as runners-up.
Hill, who joins Choi in San Diego, is a veteran with a career record of 89-69 with a 3.93 ERA. This year, he is 7-10 with a 4.76 ERA.
Choi and Hill are both eligible for free agency at the end of this season.
By trading away their prospects to acquire them, 카지노사이트 San Diego signaled their strong postseason aspirations.