Kim Kwang-hyun to try for MLB next season

South Korean left-handed pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun will try to reach Major League Baseball this offseason, his current domestic club announced Monday.

The SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization said Kim will hold a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday to formally announce his attempt to make it to the big leagues via posting.

The 26-year-old completed his equivalent of seven KBO seasons in 2014 to earn conditional free agency, a status that allows players to test overseas markets with their team’s approval.

Even before the start of the 2014 season, Kim had said he’d like to be posted for big league clubs this winter. The Wyverns, for their part, had also said they would be supportive of their ace, hoping to produce a player who reaches the more prestigious MLB or Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.

The posting process involves a silent auction among any interested MLB clubs, which submit their bids for the exclusive right to talk with the posted player. Once the winner of the auction is determined, that ball club has a 30-day negotiating window with the given player.

In 2012, left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin signed a six-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers via posting. (Yonhap)