"I'm sorry. I can't go to Samsung."
At the beginning of his free agency negotiations, Lim received an offer from the Samsung Lions, but he was in disagreement. "I don't think I can go to Samsung," he told Lee Jong-yeol. It looked like the negotiations were over. But Lee persisted. He contacted Lim's agent and even his trainer and asked them to "wait a little longer". Lee's request continued for another month. Eventually, he was sincere. Im Chang-min signed a two-year contract totaling 800 million won to wear Samsung's blue jersey. "It's my style not to give up," Lee chuckled in a later interview.
"Even the opposite sex wouldn't flirt with me like this..." Lim smiles as he recalls the moment. "I didn't realize it was so good to have someone want me so much," he said, expressing his gratitude for Samsung's interest. The support of Samsung's players also played a role. "It was reported that I was negotiating with Samsung, but I wasn't actually negotiating anything at the time," says Lim, "but Samsung players I knew, like Goo Ja-rook, Kim Tae-hoon, and Lee Sang-min, kept contacting me and asking, 'When are you coming?' When I woke up, we were a team," he laughs. It was like getting wet in a drizzle. 바카라사이트
Currently, Lim has been training in Daegu since last winter. "Coach Jung Yeon-chang, who was the head trainer at NC Dinos, is in Daegu, so I've been training there since last winter," he said. "I had a hard time with injuries after the end of 2022, but my body improved a lot by working out with Coach Jung. That's why I pitched well in the Kiwoom Heroes last year. I have good energy, so I'm still working out here this year." Coincidentally, Chung was appointed as Samsung's head training coach this winter. He will be working with Samsung in the new season.
How does it feel to wear the blue jersey of the team you looked up to as a child? "When I was in school, I had a strong image of Samsung under Kim Eung-yong and Sun Dong-yeol, and when I came to the pros, I had a strong image of Samsung under Ryu Joong-il. "Samsung has always been a team that plays 'advanced baseball,'" he said. "Recently, Samsung's performance hasn't been good, and it's bitter. I thought Samsung would never falter, and I thought, 'Wow, the team has changed so much. It's not that the team didn't try, but I realized that people shouldn't be complacent and should always improve," he said.
Last year, Samsung's bullpen was one of the worst in the league. The bullpen had an ERA of 5.16, the worst among the 10 teams in the league. Manager Lee Jong-yeol spent the offseason strengthening the bullpen, signing closers Kim Jae-yoon and Lim Chang-min as free agents to bolster the back end. Rebuilding the bullpen. Im Chang-min's shoulders are heavy. "I don't care about the position," he said of the competition for the closer's job with Kim Jae-yoon and Oh Seung-hwan, "As a veteran, I don't think individual performance is meaningful. I'll make sending the team to a high place my top priority, and I'll go up with Samsung," he said, strengthening his resolve for the new season.