Samsung’s ‘decisive’ comment that Lim Chang-min changed his mind
Samsung signed a two-year contract with veteran right-hander Lim Chang-min (former Kiwoom Heroes), who was a free agent, for a total of 800 million won (a down payment of 300 million won, an annual salary of 400 million won, and an incentive of 100 million won) on Sunday. “The recruitment of veteran Lim Chang-min has enabled the team to build the best bullpen in the league. We expect that it will create positive synergy with young players in the team,” the team said.
In the FA market, Lim received love calls from multiple teams. Samsung also contacted Lim from the beginning. The contract with Lim was made dramatically.
“Many teams came to see me than I thought. I don’t know why, but I was grateful,” Lim said in a telephone interview with X-Sports News on the 5th. “Samsung’s general manager Lee Jong-yeol expressed it really positively. I was even curious why you liked me so much,” Lim said. “He made me feel that he needed me more than any other team. Finally, I changed my mind to Samsung.”
He added, “I didn’t contact the leader directly. Instead, the leader constantly conveyed his feelings through my acquaintance,” and added, “He seemed to be busy handling various things, but he kept saying, ‘I think of you first’ and ‘Please wait.’”
Lim Chang-min said, “Actually, at the end, I told the general manager, ‘I think it’s right for me to go to another team.’ Nevertheless, he said, ‘Please wait,’ and said, ‘If you want me this much, I thought there must be a reason. My curiosity has not been solved yet. I think we will find out when the season starts.”
Samsung suffered from unstable mid-season pitching last season. We hope that Lim Chang-min will play a key role in the team’s victory this year. “If you are a professional, you should always try to produce good results. I will do my best, even though I feel less pressure,” Lim said with a smile. “If I keep doing what I have been doing, I think I will be praised or admired a little bit.”
Samsung has many young players among its pitching staff. Lim Chang-min is one of the highest ranking players. “These days, I think they are very smart. They express themselves well and organize their thoughts,” he said. “I’ve been to various teams and found many young players ask me questions. That’s a good attitude. I think they have strong will to have questions and solve themselves.”
“I think we can improve at Samsung by organizing what we have and sharing what we have with our players. I also learned a lot from my previous teams. I think I have a lot to learn in a new environment,” he said. “I have seen some pitchers with good pitching and I think they will do better if they can be trimmed. I want to be good with those players,” he expressed his expectation.
His commitment for this season is simple. “For a veteran, team performance is more important than individual performance. Personal record doesn’t mean much,” Lim said. “My biggest goal is to go up to the highest level in the team.”
“In the past, the Samsung Dynasty was an insurmountable wall. Literally, it was perfect. It was a leading team in Korean baseball,” Lim said. “Even now, Samsung is a place that everyone wants to go regardless of profession. Now that we are in such a team, we have to make good grades in accordance with the name of Samsung. It will not be an easy road, but I will do my best to meet the expectations of the team and its fans.”
Lim Chang-min, a graduate of Gwangju Dongsung High School and Yonsei University, joined Woori Heroes (currently Kiwoom Heroes) as the 11th choice in the second round in 2008. He debuted in the first division the following year and was traded to the NC Dinos in 2013. He stayed until 2021 and was notified of his release. The Doosan Bears held hands. After the end of the 2022 season, he suffered another release from Doosan.
He wore the uniform of his former team Kiwoom last year. He performed robustly with 2 wins, 2 losses, 1 hold and 26 saves with an ERA of 2.51 in 46 ⅔ innings in 51 games. He ranked sixth in saves in the league. He was evaluated as having reached his second prime. During his 13 seasons in the KBO League, he recorded an ERA of 27 wins, 29 losses, 57 holds, 122 saves with an ERA of 3.73 in 487 games
Prior to Lim Chang-min, Samsung signed a four-year contract with right-handed pitcher Kim Jae-yoon (former KT Wiz), who was an external FA resource, for a total of 5.8 billion won (down payment of 2 billion won, annual salary of 2.8 billion won, incentive of 1 billion won). As soon as the FA market opened, they were busy, immediately contacting Kim Jae-yoon at dawn.
“I thought it was the best resource among FA pitchers,” Lee Jong-yeol said at the time. “I would like to place great importance on the fact that we have reinforced the bullpen, which was the most lacking part in the team in the 2023 season,” he said. “With the recruitment of Kim Jae-yoon, anxiety over the back door has disappeared. Ultimately, I expect that the team will produce positive results that will improve the performance of the team.”
In an interview with X-Sports News, Kim Jae-yoon said, “Samsung trusted and chose me. I think that’s how much you want me to do,” adding, “I don’t know what kind of position I’ll take, such as a middle pitcher and a closing pitcher, but I’ll prepare to show the maximum performance I have in any position. I want to become a player who can repay you as much as you’ve expected.”
“I will make my best physical condition off-season. I want to help him find the image of Samsung that built the dynasty in the past,” he said, expressing his ambition. “My goal is to contribute even a little bit to the path.”
Samsung had left-handed pitcher Choi Sung-hoon (former LG Twins) and right-handed sidearm pitcher Yang Hyun (former Kiwoom) in the second draft of the KBO. Samsung also signed a contract with right-handed pitcher Lee Min-ho, who was released from the NC Dinosaurs after the last season, for an annual salary of 45 million won (approx. With Lim Chang-min joining the team, the team has earned a record of 100 million won (approx.