"A 10 Billion Won Kang Baek-ho and Even Perlaza"... Hanwha Goes All-In on Offense, but Center Field Belongs to a 19-Year-Old Rookie?

[The Financial News] This winter for the Hanwha Eagles has been nothing short of an all-out, shock-and-awe campaign. They barely bothered with the calculator. With a single goal of maximizing offensive firepower, they charged ahead without hitting the brakes.
As a result, the lineup now carries far more weight. At the same time, concerns are growing over the collateral damage and imbalance in the roster. High risk, high return. How will Hanwha’s bold gamble play out in the 2026 season? All eyes are fixed on the team’s now-vacant center field position.
Hanwha’s offseason was shocking from the very start. The club left starting second baseman-caliber infielder An Chi-hong off its protected list for the second draft, allowing him to depart for the Kiwoom Heroes.



Soon after, Hanwha put an exclamation point on its plans by signing the top free agent on the market, Kang Baek-ho, to a four-year deal worth a total of 10 billion won. Up to that point, there was more than enough reason for fans to be ecstatic. But the price they paid was painful. As compensation, the Eagles had to send away key bullpen arm Han Seung-hyuk.
Last season, Han Seung-hyuk recorded 16 holds alongside Park Sang-won, tying for the team lead and anchoring the late-inning relief corps. In terms of Wins Above Replacement (WAR), he actually graded out higher than Kang Baek-ho.
On top of that, Hanwha brought back a familiar face in foreign hitter Yonathan Perlaza. His bat has been proven, but his defense previously drew failing marks.
In the end, Hanwha gained a far more dangerous lineup but lost stability in its up-the-middle defense and bullpen. The club believes the bullpen can be patched together to some extent thanks to its depth of quality arms. However, after parting ways with last season’s primary center fielder Luis Liberato, the outfield’s field general position has been left completely vacant. That is the biggest source of concern.
Manager Kim Kyung-moon has traditionally placed great emphasis on defense along the center line. Yet, within Hanwha’s current roster, finding a sure-fire center fielder who can contribute both defensively and offensively is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Perlaza is better suited to a corner outfield spot. When he plays center, his limited range and reads off the bat become glaring weaknesses. Hanwha has been actively exploring the trade market, but for every club, a starting-caliber center fielder is a prized asset. Matching up a deal is virtually impossible.
“Whenever we bring up a trade, the first name they ask for is Jung Woo-joo,” general manager Son Hyuk remarked. In effect, it was a declaration that they are walking away from trade talks. There is simply no scenario in which Hanwha can afford to give up Jung Woo-joo.

In the end, Hanwha has no choice but to look within. Ironically, in this time of turmoil, the club’s biggest source of hope is a 19-year-old rookie who has only just turned professional. That player is Oh Jae-won, a Yushin High School product selected by Hanwha with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2026 rookie draft.
At the time of the draft, Oh Jae-won was widely regarded as the top outfield prospect available. Even officials from other clubs were surprised to see him go as high as No. 3 overall, but the Hanwha front office and field staff were in complete agreement.
Rather than thinking, “We need someone who can help right now,” they were convinced that “it will be hard to find another outfielder with this kind of tool set any time soon.”
According to evaluations from people around the team, Oh Jae-won’s defense and baserunning are already at a level where he can contribute immediately. He has solid fundamentals, as shown by his selection to the national youth team starting in his second year of high school. His wide defensive range and smart baserunning are seen as good enough to meet manager Kim Kyung-moon’s high standards.
The question is how quickly his bat will adjust. No matter how dominant a hitter is at the high school level, the wall of the KBO League’s first team is high.

Moon Hyun-bin, now a core member of the team, also needed three full years to adjust to the first team. Expecting Oh Jae-won to be an immediate offensive contributor would be unrealistic.
Hanwha’s internal math, however, is straightforward. With a lineup anchored by Kang Baek-ho, Yonathan Perlaza, Noh Si-hwan and others, the offensive burden placed on the center fielder can be relatively lighter. If Oh Jae-won can hold his own defensively and simply serve as a connector at the bottom of the order, the Eagles’ all-in-on-offense strategy could generate real synergy.
Nor will Oh Jae-won be alone in the competition. For now, Lee Jinyoung and Lee Won-seok are likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order. Still, given that he was taken third overall in the first round, there is an undeniable logic that in two to three years, the starting center field job must belong to Oh Jae-won.
A Hanwha club official expressed strong confidence, saying, “Oh Jae-won not only has good defensive and baserunning skills, but also an excellent mentality. His tools are outstanding, and we have no doubt he will become the team’s franchise center fielder in the future.”
Since the introduction of the full-scale draft system, this is the first time an outfielder has been selected in the first round. To be taken third overall in that round is a record that will be hard to see again.
Hanwha has said, “We weren’t looking at Shin Jae-in; we only had eyes for Oh Jae-won.” The very fact that the club had this level of conviction shows just how many untapped strengths they see in him.

If Oh Jae-won can prove he has first-team potential during spring camp and exhibition games, Hanwha will be able to plug its biggest hole through internal development rather than a risky trade. That could end up being an even greater gain than signing a 10 billion won free agent.
After stockpiling pitching prospects such as Moon Dong-ju, Kim Seo-hyun, Hwang Junseo and Jung Woo-joo, Hanwha has now made an ambitious move with its position-player pick in Oh Jae-won.
By a twist of fate, he now holds the key to a position on which the team’s very survival may depend. In the 2026 season, the Hanwha Eagles’ report card may well hinge on the feet and glove of this 19-year-old rookie.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter