The best team in South Korean baseball this season acquired the league's all-time hits leader Thursday.
The Hanwha Eagles said they traded for NC Dinos outfielder Son Ah-seop in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2026 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) draft and 300 million won ($215,000) in cash. The deal came on the annual trade deadline.
The Eagles entered Thursday's action leading the KBO with a win-loss-tie record of 58-37-3, poised for their first postseason trip since 2018. Son, 37, will be asked to strengthen the offense that ranks in the middle of the pack in runs, hits and on-base plus slugging (OPS).
Son sits atop the career hits rankings with 2,583 after 2,134 games. He is a lifetime .320 hitter and is batting .300 this season in 76 games, along with 33 RBIs.
Son enjoyed a streak of 14 consecutive seasons with at least 100 hits from 2010 to 2023, before the run ended in an injury-plagued 2024 season, when he finished with 95 hits in 84 games.
Son had been with the Dinos since 2022, after spending the 14 previous seasons with the Lotte Giants.
The Eagles noted that Son has a career postseason OPS of 1.008 and his big-game experience should help the club if they make the postseason.
"He has been a consistent force throughout his career with his great work ethic and discipline," the Eagles said. "We expect him to serve as an exemplary role model for our young players."
The Dinos are also in the postseason hunt. They ranked eighth at 44-45-5 but were only one game out of the fifth and final postseason spot prior to Thursday's games.
Dinos general manager Lim Sun-nam said getting a draft pick in exchange for Son was "a strategic decision" to solidify the team's prospect base.
"It was not an easy call to send away Son Ah-seop, who has been a key part of our team," Lim added. "But we wanted to ensure our competitiveness for the future, and this move will help lay foundation for our retooling and sustainable growth." (Yonhap)
