Chapter 699 – Episode 686. Aim for Ji Maeng-Ho! (4)

“At Texas Rangers, first of all, we have a mansion near the baseball field where players can rest comfortably, a villa where they can rest during their breaks, and…”

I listen to the Texas general manager’s words with one ear and let them go with the other. Because I didn’t want to go to Texas, where racists like Mr. Rossby were born.

“Once I figured it out. But isn’t the second baseman there Rogers? He’s a second baseman who hit 22 home runs at .208 last year… As far as I know, his annual salary is $13 million. But can they push out a player like that as a candidate and use me?”

“Ah, in Rogers’ case, he is now 30 years old, so he should move to first base…”

“Hmm. The old second baseman is moving to first base.”

“No, no. I don’t mean that…”

“So, if I can’t defend second base, Rogers can always see the second baseman and I can go to first base?”

“Well, actually, the batting speed is different between the Major League and the KBA League… Also, with human work, you never know what will happen, and who knows? At first base, where the defensive burden is less…”

“I understand for now. “I also have another appointment.”

If you show off like this, you will fall for it.

“I will think positively. But time is money, right? There are 6 more clubs behind us now. Do you know anything? The conditions that follow may be poor.”

“… I understand.”

Finally, the Texas general manager leaves the meeting room. The time allotted to each team is two hours. On the day of the auction, numbers were drawn through a lottery, and we were negotiating with each team starting today, the day after the auction, but it was already boring from the first hitter, Texas.

“Where next?”

“It’s the Atlanta Braves.”

“Ah, Atlanta.”

What conditions will Atlanta present? In fact, it was quite surprising that Atlanta was involved in these negotiations.

Atlanta won the championship in 2024, and was shut out by the Dodgers in 2025 and 2026, but it was currently one of the strongest teams in the major league, and the second base position was also occupied by Alvis, one of the best second basemen in the major league.

Alvis’s performance last year was .208, 5 ERA, and 23 home runs. He had hit 30 home runs twice and was now 30, so there was no way he needed me. Moreover, Alvis is a saint who debuted in Atlanta. Do you really need me?

“… So we decided to move Albies to shortstop this season and play Mr. I plan to hire Ji as second baseman. Riley can hit 40 home runs at any time, Albies is at shortstop, and Olson, the former home run king, is at first base. “It’s the best infield in the league.”

Riley, Alvis, Olson. Players who can hit 20 home runs or even 30 home runs at any time… Watching the infield with those players? When I imagine playing with those players, it feels like my heart is racing.

“And in the outfield, MVP Acuña Jr. And Harris, who showed off his skills last season and hit 42 home runs. At catcher, we have Murphy, who has the best defense in the major league and an OPS of 0.8. Isn’t this the best fielder lineup you can imagine? “If only Ji Maeng-ho were here, it would not be unreasonable to think of beating the Dodgers or even more.”

Additionally, the other fielders were among the best in the league. It was definitely an attractive proposition. Perhaps the batting lineup is the best in the major leagues along with the Dodgers? Moreover, it made sense to move Alvis to shortstop.

Alvis was a player who started his career as a shortstop, and Atlanta’s current concern was the shortstop area.

Arcia, who was runner-up in 2023 and won the championship in 24, began to show signs of decline in 2025. Last year, she played half the time as Waddell, and this year she was completely pushed out by Waddell. However, Waddell’s performance was not very satisfactory, with .203, 4.3, and 8 home runs.

‘Move Alvis to shortstop, and I will take Alvis’ place… Are you okay?’

“Plus, we have Strider, the best ace player in the major leagues who won the National Cy Young Award this season. We are ready to run for victory at any time.”

“But other than Strider, didn’t all of them even complete the stipulated innings?”

However, the pitchers other than Strider were not very good. This is because none of Atlanta’s starters completed the required number of innings this season. To be honest, AT was not a team with strong pitching skills other than when Crongs played. Would you like to play for a team with strong pitching ability in the major league?

“Hmm. Hmm. Well, there is still a lot of free agency market left. Oh, and we also have a good Korean town in Atlanta, so it won’t be difficult to adapt.”

The Korean town is doing well… This was a pretty good condition.

“That’s good. “It was the best suggestion so far.”

“… “Aren’t I the second?”

“Well, that’s right. Anyway, I was very impressed. First, my heart is at peace.”

“That’s a good thing. Then, I’ll be waiting for a good answer.”

The Atlanta general manager who shook my heart went out and the Mets general manager came in.

“… First, our team consists of the duo of Barty and Alvarez, who hit 40 home runs last season, and Alonso, who can hit 40 home runs at any time, although he performed slightly poorly last year. You can have Ji’s back. On defense, Lindor is Mr. I can help Ji. And most of the fielders are young, in their mid to late twenties, except for Lindor and Alonso. Probably Mr. You will find it easy to get along with Ji. Moreover, Senga is also Asian…”

New York Mets. Actually, the place Hyejin wanted the most was New York, so it wasn’t a bad thing. But compared to Atlanta, is it a bit further away from the championship? In addition, Alonso also hit 41 home runs at .206 last year, but hit 26 home runs at .201 this season, so there was some talk that he may already be showing an aging curve.

To be honest, I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t heard the story about Atlanta, but after listening to it, I couldn’t help but feel a little down. The pitching staff was also worse than Atlanta.

“I understand for now. “I also like New York.”

“Then see you next time.”

“Yes. “What?”

Just like that, the Mets’ general manager stepped down and this time the Cubs’ general manager entered the meeting room. But the Cubs weren’t that attractive either. First, we were far from the championship.

Well, I didn’t necessarily want to play for a strong team, but strong teams offered me 260 million won, so there was no reason to go to a weak team.

And the Boston Red Sox, who followed the Chicago Cubs, were also not satisfied with the team’s strength. It is said that Trilling is currently the best pitcher in the major leagues, but even with such an ace, the fact that they ranked 4th in the district this season was a big deduction.

‘Well, most of them are similar. When I come, I will run a win now, what about the vision of the club, what about the young players. If this is the case, is Atlanta the best?’

While meeting with five clubs, the club that attracted me the most was Atlanta. And now only two major league teams, the LA Dodgers and the New York Yankees, remained.

“This is Gomes, the general manager of the Dodgers.”

“Oh, I was waiting.”

LA Dodgers. The strongest team in the Major League, having won the World Series twice in a row.

A solid four starters consisting of Ohtani, Miller, Glasnow, and Yamamoto, as well as the aging but still-still-aged Freeman and Betts, and Ohtani, who showed monster-like performance in batting and won the NL MVP for three years in a row. Josh Sean is currently considered the best second baseman in the major leagues. In addition, players like Smith and Seungcheol support him like older brothers.

In addition, it is a club that is familiar to Korea and Koreatown in LA is also famous, so it was the club that I was most attracted to until we met.

But the problem is the existence of Josh Sean. Josh Sean was younger than me, and he was said to be the best second baseman in the major leagues.

That’s why I quickly asked a question.

“But why do the Dodgers have me? “There’s also Josh Sean, right?”

“Ah, that’s the point. We are planning to move Josh to shortstop starting this season. I guess the shortstop part is the problem. “Josh can easily adapt to the shortstop position.”

“Oh, that way?”

The original second baseman was moved to shortstop. It was similar to Atlanta.

“Besides, Mr. I know you are very close with Joo, so I don’t think there will be any problems adjusting to him. Mr. Ji also got straight to the point, so I will get straight to the point. Let’s create a great team together that will remain in Major League history. Like the evil empire of old.”

Goms’ eyes were so intense that even I felt overwhelmed for a moment. Besides, I really liked Seungcheol’s story and vision.

‘Don’t go.’

‘Yes? ‘Why?’

‘If you go there, you will be a bridesmaid. There is a guy who doubles as a two-bat and wins MVP. Do you think the spotlight will go to you? Ruth, if that guy hadn’t been a cowardly pitcher, I would too…’

But Mr. Rossby had a point. If I go to the Dodgers, will that glory be mine? No matter how many championships they win, they probably won’t be remembered as Ohtani’s Dodgers. Moreover, there were some parts that were slightly stuck.

Except for Seungcheol and his older brother Josh Sean, almost all the main fielders were over 30. How long can Freeman and Betts last? Freeman’s performance this season was .269 with 25 home runs, but his performance continued to decline due to his age.

Well, considering the Dodgers’ financial strength and my addition to it, it might not have been that big of a problem…

While I was thinking about it, Gomes talked about various other conditions, and I took note of each one of them and compared the conditions with Atlanta.

Both the young Atlanta and the old but strong LA Dodgers.

While he was thinking about it, Gomes left and the Yankees’ general manager came in. It is said that he was appointed as a new general manager this time.

“Hello. Mr. Ji.”

“Yes. Hello.”

“You seem to be worried a lot. “I guess the preceding conditions were good?”

“Yes. There were some satisfactory suggestions.”

Yankees? Honestly, I’m attracted to it. First, it was also the most prestigious club in the world. But, compared to Atlanta or the Dodgers, is it a bit far from winning?

A team in a big city that has not won a championship for a long time and has a very strong desire to win… I also slightly disliked its resemblance to AT. Now, I also want to play baseball more comfortably.

“Okay. “Seeing that you are speaking honestly, it seems like you have already changed your mind to some extent.”

“It would be a lie if I wasn’t honest, right?”

“Well, I understand. But if you listen to my story, you will think differently.”

The Yankees’ general manager smiles confidently. What did they prepare for to do this? The money is the same anyway, 260 million… Are you really going to give me more? However, unless it was around 300 million won, the value of playing baseball comfortably would have been greater.

“Tax paid at the time of contract. We will pay for it.”

“… Call.”

This is a prestigious club.

Winning? I can do it if I do it, so what’s the problem?

‘No, now that I think about it, there was this important problem and no one explained it to me?’

With this, I felt like I could become a better head of the household. I wasn’t very greedy for money, but even if I roughly calculated it, it was almost $100 million, so it was natural that I would be attracted to this amount.

“I believe you know that it must be kept secret.”

“There won’t be any legal problems, right?”

“We are experts in this area. Don’t worry, just stamp it. “Let’s read the contract with the agent and confirm.”

I checked the contract presented by the Yankees’ general manager with Attorney Jeong, and the attorney also sent a sign saying that there were no problems.

‘Wow, this is a prestigious club after all. ‘I hear you clearly understand the needs of your customers!’