The Doosan Bears and Lotte Giants teamed up on Friday for the KBO’s offseason first major trade. The Bears sent reliever Jung Cheol-won and shortstop Jeon Min-jae to the Giants in exchange for outfielder Kim Min-Suk, outfielder Choo Jae-hyun, and right-handed pitcher Choo Woo-in.
The headliner of the deal is the 20-year-old Kim, who was the third overall selection by the Giants in the 2023 draft. The Bears will look to unlock his potential after the outfielder hit just .248/.307/.328 in 170 games with the Giants. The Bears will also add another high upside-bat in the 25-year-old Choo Jae-hyun, who has posted a career .304 batting average in 1,358 Futures League at-bats. The final piece of the deal is Choo Woo-in, a former second-round pick who has spent each of the last three seasons in the Futures League.
The Bears, meanwhile, are banking on a return to form from Jung. The 25-year-old emerged as the Bears’ closer in 2023 before a 6.40 ERA bounced him from the role in 2024. He will be joined on his new club by fellow 25-year-old Jeon, who posted a .246 average in a career-high 100 games last season. The two players will look to help the Giants return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
