The Major League Baseball team has offered Senga Kodai a 5-6 year contract. But his choice was the New York Mets. What is the reason?
Local media such as ‘MLB.com’ and ‘The Athletic’ reported on the 11th (hereinafter Korean time), “The New York Mets have agreed to a five-year contract with Senga Kodai for a total of 75 million dollars (approximately 98.3 billion won).”
Senga’s contract includes the right to refuse trade as well as an opt-out clause after the 2025 season. Senga’s contract has not yet been formalized, but an official announcement will be made after the results of the medical test come out.
According to ‘Major League Trade Rumors (MLBTR),’ Senga received interest from a total of 12 clubs, including the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres. In particular, 메이저놀이터 long-term contracts of 5-6 years were offered several times. Then why did Senga choose the Mets?
Japan’s ‘Sankei Sports’ mentioned the news of the contract between Senga and Mets on the 12th and said, “The most important thing Senga, aiming for new growth, in the competition between the 8 clubs was the ability to analyze data.” In other words, Mets’ data analysis skills captured Senga’s heart.
Senga’s American agent, Joel Wolf, explained, “Senga is digesting the driveline program, and he was thinking of a team that was data savvy and would help him grow in that respect.”
Driveline is a scientific training center based on data. According to ‘Sankei Sports’, the Mets recruited Eric Jaygers, who was in charge of pitching coordinator at Driveline, for an annual salary of $300,000 (approximately 400 million won) in November of last year. Currently, the Jayers serve as the head of the Mets’ data-related operations.
After arriving in the United States, Senga visited San Diego, San Francisco, and New York, toured stadium facilities, and held meetings with data analysts. She took the time to ask and how she measured her pitches. As a result, she chose the Mets.
‘Sankei Sports’ said, “There was also an aspect of the environment in which you could aim for your own growth behind the choice of a super-large contract of 5 years and 75 million dollars.”