We still don't know the future of Ha Joo-seok of the Hanwha Eagles who applied.

The KBO announced on Nov. 5 last year the FA-approved players. Of the 30 eligible players, 20 who applied for the FA were approved, and Ha was also on the list. Ha was classified as a compensation grade B. If there is a team that recruits Ha as an FA, he or she must pay compensation and one other player other than the 25-year-old protected player.안전놀이터

However, the market's assessment of Ha is cold-hearted, as evidenced by the two months that it took. Hanwha, the original team that left open various possibilities such as signing and trade, is also taking a wait-and-see stance. As Hanwha signed a four-year contract with shortstop Shim Woo-jun early on with the opening of the FA, there is no reason for Ha to be in a hurry. In the first place, the recruitment of Shim effectively implied a view of Ha.

"Not only this season, but also recently, it has been bad," retired player Cha Woo-chan said of Ha Joo-seok, who applied for free agency on YouTube's "Chit Chit" channel. "I can't fully understand it, but from a player's point of view, he is also talented and one of the players I tried to raise at Hanwha. He showed some things. However, there were also problems with attitude at the ballpark, and above all, his performance was bad." 

"But I think the fact that I applied means that I will leave the team." Cha Woo-chan pointed out, "I think Hanwha is a good team, but I think he wants to create an opportunity. Because there was something that caused trouble in this team, and of course, he was the most upset and bad, but when he had the right to go out, he should have postponed it for a year if it was his usual idea." 

"Regardless of performance and issues, it is right to apply after a one-year grace period and perform well next year. You are still young. But I applied even though I knew it was going to be the worst case," he said. "Then the answer is, even if you are not necessarily a shortstop, you will definitely go to another team to make a comeback or change the mood. I think so."

Ha joined Hanwha in 2012 as the No. 1 overall pick in the first round of the rookie draft, and took the main shortstop position of the Muju Communist Party. Having grown into a key member of the team, Ha has been wearing the captain's armband since 2021. 

However, he still had controversy outside of baseball in 2022, when he was still the captain. In June, he was suspended for 10 games, fined 3 million won (3,000 U.S. dollars) and banned for 40 hours of youth baseball volunteer work for throwing his helmet to the dismissal order, and was caught in a drunk driving crackdown in the early morning of November during the closing camp, and was suspended for 0.078 percent of alcohol content in his blood, before failing to play due to suspension of 70 games by the KBO Commission on Reward and Punishment.

The disciplinary action was lifted at the end of June 2023, and Hanwha registered Ha Joo-seok in the first division entry on July 11, just before the end of the first half, but he returned without applause, ending the season with a poor performance of 0.114 in 25 games. In the 2024 season, hamstring injuries overlapped, and he did not show any significant performance with 40 hits, one home run, 11 RBIs, 15 runs and a batting average of 0.292 in 67 at-bats in 64 games.