The relationship between Choi Ji-man (32), who is active in the American Professional Baseball Major League (MLB), and his new team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, continues to go out of sync. He has not yet joined the Pittsburgh squad in earnest, but the conflict seems to be deepening.
Choi Ji-man, who played an active part in the Tampa Bay Race until last season, was traded to Pittsburgh after the 2022 season. Up until this point, the atmosphere hadn’t been bad. In Pittsburgh, a low-end team with no star players and full of young prospects, Choi seemed to have a chance to play.
However, the relationship is increasingly strained. The club’s refusal to call the World Baseball Classic (WBC) was decisive. Choi Ji-man, who played with elbow pain last season, was traded to Pittsburgh and underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment in his elbow two weeks later. If his rehabilitation went smoothly, he seemed ready for the WBC.
However, the Pittsburgh club put a brake on Choi Ji-man’s participation in the WBC because of elbow surgery. MLB clubs have the right to refuse selection to the WBC team if their player has a history of injury or surgery. The KBO selected SSSG Landers outfielder Choi Ji-hoon as a replacement in place of Choi Ji-man, who was unable to participate in the WBC.
Choi Ji-man immediately expressed his dissatisfaction and disappointment. He said through his agency, “You don’t know how happy I was when I was included in the preliminary list of the WBC national team.”
Choi Ji-man said, “I underwent elbow surgery, but I returned to the United States and was undergoing a good rehabilitation process, and recently there was no problem enough to bet live.” I was raising it well,” he introduced the recent training process. 토토사이트
He continued, “I am very disappointed and it hurts.”
Choi Ji-man and the Pittsburgh club are also at odds over salary issues. Choi Ji-man could not reach an agreement with the club over the amount of his salary. He is the only player in Pittsburgh to make it all the way to a salary adjustment hearing. The club submitted $4.65 million and Choi Ji-man $5.4 million to the mediation committee. After listening to the opinions of both sides, the salary adjustment committee will raise his one hand. Choi Ji-man’s annual salary adjustment committee will be held at the end of this month.
Choi Ji-man also has no intention of stepping down at the moment. Even in 2021, when Choi Ji-man belonged to Tampa Bay, his requirements were fulfilled at the end of the process of going to the Salary Adjustment Committee.
It is not desirable for Choi Ji-man to continue the situation of confrontation with the club. He hasn’t even started spring camp yet, but ESPN has already predicted that he could be traded during the season. Choi Ji-man’s 2023 season is not smooth from the start.