Comment on Rockies Insider: Assessing the impact of Seunghwan Oh’s potential return to South Korea

Rockies Insider: Assessing the impact of Seunghwan Oh’s potential return to South Korea

Say it ain’t so, Seunghwan Oh. According to Wednesday’s report via the Yonhap News Agency, the 36-year-old veteran right-handed reliever is considering going back to South Korea for next season. As for his reasons for a desired return to the Korea Baseball Organization, Oh cited the 24/7 demands of living in a foreign country — his interpreter Eugene Koo needed at his side at all times — in addition to the fact that his family is always 6,000-plus miles away. One of Asia’s all-time greatest bullpen arms pitched in the major leagues for the past three seasons with the Cardinals, Blue Jays and Rockies, and Colorado acquired him from Toronto in a deadline trade on July 26. He posted a 2.53 ERA in 25 games for the Rockies, emerging as an uber-reliable “Final Boss” out of the bullpen as manager Bud Black’s confidence waned in other struggling middle relievers such as Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee. So, if Oh does indeed return to South Korea, Colorado’s bullpen will be on even shakier offseason ground. Adam Ottavino, who posted a bullpen-high 2.6 WAR in 2018, is a free agent and likely not to be re-signed. The beleaguered Shaw and McGee are amid three-year, $27 million contracts and currently look like expensive dead weight. All of those holes mean that Scott Oberg will need to continue to be money in 2019, and young right-handers Yency Almonte and DJ Johnson may be called upon in bigger roles than initially expected. And, Oh’s departure could mean that general manger Jeff Bridich — already with his plate full of hot-stove decisions — might need to add a quality veteran reliever to his offseason shopping list. — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post Support local journalism.

 

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