Rays trade S. Korean 1B Choi Ji-man to Pirates

All News 08:07 November 11, 2022

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korean first baseman Choi Ji-man has been traded for the second time in his major league career, with the Tampa Bay Rays shipping him to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Rays announced Thursday (U.S. local time) that they dealt Choi in exchange for minor league pitcher Jack Hartman.

In this Associated Press file photo from Oct. 7, 2022, Choi Ji-man of the Tampa Bay Rays walks back to the dugout after being forced out at second base against the Cleveland Guardians during the top of the second inning of Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series at Progressive Field in Cleveland. (Yonhap)

Choi, 31, made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016, and later joined the New York Yankees and the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent. In June 2018, the Brewers dealt him to the Rays for a player and cash, and it was in Florida that Choi had his best seasons as a big leaguer.

In 2019, Choi posted career-high numbers across the board, batting .261/.363/.459 with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs. Then in 2020, Choi became the first South Korean position player to play in the World Series, as the Rays lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This year, Choi battled through multiple injuries and batted only .233/.341/.388 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs. He struck out a career-worst 123 times and lost his playing time in the second half of the season.

Choi was considered a candidate to be non-tendered before the deadline next Friday. He made US$3.2 million this past season, and 2023 will be his final year of arbitration eligibility.

Choi is scheduled to return to South Korea on Saturday. He will undergo surgery to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow later this month and do his rehab here before returning to the United States in January.

In this UPI file photo from Oct. 8, 2022, Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Choi Ji-man (L) stretches out to retire Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians during the bottom of the first inning of Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Progressive Field in Cleveland. (Yonhap)

The Pirates addressed their need at first base with this trade, as Choi, despite coming off a down year, can still offer decent power and on-base skills.

Choi will join a pair of South Koreans in the Pirates system: infielders Park Hoy-jun and Bae Ji-hwan.

Park, 26, played in 23 games for the Pirates this year, bouncing between the big league and the minors. Bae, 23, made his major league debut with the Pirates in September and batted .333/.405/.424 with three doubles and three steals in 10 games.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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