I couldn't wait. The Samsung Lions may part ways with longtime foreign pitcher David Buchanan (35). If they wait, they may miss out on other good players.
Before the year 2023, Samsung signed foreign batsman David McKinnon for a total of $1 million and right-handed pitcher Connor Seabold for $1 million. While the team decided early on to replace Buchanan and the other two, they brought in players they had been watching. Unlike the newcomers, Buchanan was a so-called "calculating player" and was desperate to be re-signed.
But negotiations dragged on. Having already paid McKinnon and Seabold $2 million, Samsung could offer Buchanan up to $2.4 million due to the foreign player salary cap. However, Buchanan was not satisfied with Samsung's offer. He wanted a multi-year contract and more money, which would have allowed him to sign a contract worth up to $4.9 million, which would have negatively impacted other foreign players' contracts. This is why it was difficult for Samsung to offer Buchanan a satisfactory deal.
The tug-of-war between the club and Buchanan continued into the new year with no news of a re-signing. Buchanan, who entered the KBO ahead of the 2020 season, was a tricky player to sign, but his contract didn't expire until the new year. Samsung couldn't wait. It has been in contact with other foreign pitchers in case Buchanan doesn't re-sign.
A Samsung representative told Sporting News on March 3, "We made a final offer to Buchanan from the beginning. We are waiting, but we haven't heard from him yet. We are implementing a two-track strategy while considering signing a new pitcher. We can't wait forever," the official said, leaving open the possibility of a dramatic deal with Buchanan while also considering other players.
In fact, re-signing Buchanan is the best-case scenario because he's done enough for them over the past four years. In 2020, Buchanan's rookie year. He had a stellar debut season in the KBO, appearing in 27 games and pitching 174⅔ innings, going 15-7 with a 3.45 ERA. 카지노사이트가이드
His performance continued in 2021. Buchanan pitched 177 innings in 30 games. He went 16-5 with a 3.10 ERA as the ace. Behind Buchanan's performance, Samsung finished the regular season with a record of 76 wins, 9 ties, and 59 losses, and forced their first ever tiebreaker. Although the team lost to KT to end the regular season in second place and was swept by the Doosan Bears in the playoffs, Buchanan stayed with the team. 2022 was a bit of a disappointment. After two straight seasons of 15+ wins, Samsung's expectations were high. Buchanan pitched 160 innings in 26 games, going 11-8 with a 3.04 ERA. While his ERA was a career-high, he was making the minimum number of appearances and pitching the minimum number of innings since joining the KBO.
Buchanan bounced back in 2023. He pitched 188 innings in 30 games. He finished with a 12-8 record and a 2.54 ERA. He had 21 quality starts (six innings of three earned runs or less). Buchanan finished his career ranked third in wins, second in innings pitched, and tied for second in quality starts.
But it wasn't just his performance that was impressive. An outgoing personality, Buchanan also served as a dugout leader. His self-care and discipline set an example for the rest of the team. His fan service was outstanding.
However, it's becoming increasingly unlikely that Buchanan will be around in 2024. Buchanan was the longest-serving foreign pitcher in Samsung's franchise history. However, the two sides have been unable to resolve their differences over the contract, and are now at risk of parting ways.