Our second catcher is Lee Joo-heon.

LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop mentioned the catching situation before the game against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 11th, stating, "No matter who comes, our second catcher is Lee Joo-heon."

Currently, LG's catching situation is weak. Only the starter Park Dong-won is solid. They did not re-sign Heo Do-hwan, who served as the backup catcher until last year, and Heo Do-hwan has announced his retirement. Before Heo Do-hwan, there was a veteran named Lee Sung-woo. While maintaining a solid starting catcher lineup with Yu Gang-nam (currently with Lotte) and Park Dong-won, there were also reliable veteran catchers behind them.

Right behind Park Dong-won is Lee Joo-heon (22), who joined the team as a third-round pick in the 2022 rookie draft and is a catcher that manager Yeom Kyung-yeop has been keeping an eye on since last year. After completing military service last year, he recorded a batting average of .284 (23 hits in 81 at-bats) with 6 home runs, 21 RBIs, and 19 runs scored over 39 games in the Futures League, posting an OPS of .983. Notably, he made his starting debut on Sept. 26 last year against Kiwoom and performed well with 3 hits, earning a spot on the postseason roster.

However, currently there are no veteran catchers such as Lee Sung-woo and Heo Do-hwan to bridge the gap between the starter and the backup. The 'power-hitting prospect' Bom Kim, who needs to occupy a spot on the first team catching roster, is still remaining in the second team.

For this reason, during the late February Okinawa secondary camp, LG was at the center of trade rumors concerning catchers.

Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop noted, "If Dong-won gets injured for a month or two, it will be tough for Lee Joo-heon alone. In that case, we might need to bring in another catcher."

He further explained, "What people misunderstand is that if another catcher comes in, Lee Joo-heon will get pushed out. That is not the case. Lee Joo-heon is our second catcher, and the other catcher will be the third catcher. What is clear is that we are trying to develop Lee Joo-heon, and no matter who comes, he will be our second catcher."

Regarding discussions about additional trades for catchers, he stated, "As a manager, I can say that there are no ongoing efforts to pursue a catcher trade."

He emphasized, "We are exploring various avenues. We need to be prepared. However, the Director General is not in a hurry. The season has not even started yet. We have Lee Joo-heon."

Director General Cha Myung-seok of LG also stated, "Currently, there are no discussions about trade. It is not a feasible situation." Last year, LG had to pay a baseball development fund due to exceeding the competitive balance ceiling of 11.42638 billion won by 2.42978 billion won. Considering the direction of the club's development and realistic conditions, LG has firmly established that trade discussions are simply not possible.

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