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With deal in sight, shortstop Kang Jung-ho set to visit Pittsburgh

January 12, 2015

Kang Jung-ho is set to visit Pittsburgh this week.

SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) – Reportedly close to getting a deal done with the Pittsburgh Pirates, South Korean shortstop Kang Jung-ho will depart for Pittsburgh this week, his current South Korean club announced Monday.

The Nexen Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Kang will leave for the U.S. city on Wednesday. He will lay over in Detroit before arriving in Pittsburgh, according to the Heroes.

Once there, Kang will undergo medical tests on Thursday and Friday, the Heroes added.

The Heroes posted Kang last month, after the slugging shortstop belted 40 home runs and drove in 117 runs in 117 games in the 2014 season. The home run and RBI totals were both single-season records by a shortstop in the KBO. Kang also batted a career-high .356 and had the league’s best on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) with 1.198.

The Pirates won the silent auction with a bid of US$5,002,015 and received the exclusive rights to negotiate with Kang for 30 days. The deadline is 5 p.m. on Jan. 20 in Eastern Standard Time.

The U.S. media reports have said the Pirates were on the verge of signing a deal with the 27-year-old. Soon after Kang was posted, Yonhap News Agency earlier reported that Alan Nero, Kang’s agent, was seeking a multiyear contract, worth as much as $20 million over four years.

The Heroes added that should Kang agree to a deal with the Pirates during his stay, he will remain in the United States to prepare for the upcoming season.

Kang would join a crowded Pittsburgh infield that already has mainstays in shortstop Jordy Mercer and second baseman Neil Walker.

Kang, who was a catcher in high school, has primarily been a shortstop as a pro and has played some third base for the national team. He has said if he had to switch positions, he’d prefer third base to second base because he is more familiar with the hot corner.