KBO asks MLB to post shortstop Kang Jung-ho

The top South Korean baseball league said Monday it requested Major League Baseball to post shortstop Kang Jung-ho for big league clubs.

The Korea Baseball Organization said it was notified of Kang’s availability by his current club, the Nexen Heroes, and asked MLB to inform its 30 clubs of Kang’s status.

Kang, 27, will be the third KBO player to be posted this offseason, after SK Wyverns’ pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun and Kia Tigers’ pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong, both of whom were posted last month.

Kang is also the first position player ever in the KBO to be posted for MLB clubs.

Kang will be put up for a silent auction and MLB clubs have four business days to submit their bids. 

He’s represented by veteran agent Alan Nero, managing director of baseball division at the agency Octagon.

Former Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez and the reigning American League batting champ Jose Altuve are among Octagon’s clients.

Kang completed his equivalent of seven full KBO seasons in 2014 and became a restricted free agent, a status that allows him to test foreign markets only with the Heroes’ approval.

He picked the perfect timing to have the best offensive season of his career. He played in 117 of the team’s 128 games and set career highs with a .356 batting average, 40 home runs and 117 RBIs. 


Giants acquire Lindblom

South Korean baseball club Lotte Giants on Monday announced their signing of right-hander Josh Lindblom.

The Korea Baseball Organization club inked the 27-year-old to a contract worth $850,000, along with a signing bonus of $50,000.

Lindblom made one appearance for the Oakland Athletics this year and has pitched in 110 Major League Baseball games over his career, with a record of 5-8 with a 3.82 ERA.

He spent most of 2014 with the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento.

He has a record of 22-17 with a 4.29 ERA in the minors. (Yonhap)