Kim Ha-seong (29) and Robinson Cano (41), who worked together with the San Diego Padres, are starting their second baseball careers in Dubai.주소
Baseball United, the Middle East’s first professional baseball league, announced on its official website on the 24th (Korean time) that “Dubai Wolves selected Kano as No. 6 in the first round of the 2023 draft.”
Baseball United is a professional baseball league established in the Middle East and South Asia, including India, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates, in July 2022. Major League Baseball Hall of Famers and legends Mariano Rivera and Barry Larkin stepped forward. To date, a total of four teams have been established: Mumbai Cobras (India), Karachi Monarchs (Pakistan), Dubai Wolves, and Abu Dhabi Falcons (United Arab Emirates), and the league will begin in 2024.
The one with the highest name value is Kano. Cano debuted with the New York Yankees in 2005 and played in a total of 2,267 games over 17 major league seasons, posting a batting average of 0.301, 335 home runs, 1,306 RBI, 1,262 runs, 51 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of 0.351, a slugging percentage of 0.488, and an OPS of 0.839. He won five Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves as a second baseman, and as a star representing the New York Yankees in the mid-to-late 2000s, he also won eight All-Star Awards and All-Star MVP Awards. He was considered the next franchise star when he led the New York Yankees to the World Series championship in 2009.
However, his downfall began when he signed a huge 10-year free agent contract worth $240 million (approximately 324.2 billion won) at the end of the 2013 season and headed to the Seattle Mariners. Following his below-expected performance, he was suspended for 80 games during the 2018 season after being caught using banned substances. After the end of the 2018 season, he headed to the New York Mets in a 2-5 trade, and in 2020, he was banned from playing 162 games after being discovered to have used banned substances again, leading to a complete collapse.
After missing a whole season, he was released from the Mets in the 2022 season and headed to San Diego, where he met Ha-seong Kim. At the time of joining, he was expected to form a keystone combination with shortstop Kim Ha-seong, but he showed the worst performance of his career with a batting average of 0.091 in 12 games, and less than a month later, he was released as a free agent. Afterwards, he headed to the Atlanta Braves, but was also released after 20 days. He dreamed of making a comeback by joining the Dominican national team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), but was unable to play for any team.
His life was prosperous. Starting from the 2022 season, when his second banned substance suspension ends, he will be able to receive his salary according to the contract signed in 2013. He made $23.45 million (about 31.7 billion won) in the 2022 season and $24 million (about 34.4 billion won) this year without playing a single game. The New York Mets and Seattle, which were responsible for his salary, were also completely released after two years.
He has not yet officially declared his retirement from the major leagues, but it appears that he will give up his dream of returning without hesitation as he joins the Middle East baseball league, where retirees are heading. In addition to Cano, ‘Major League pitcher with 247 wins’ Bartolo Colon (50) joined the Karachi Monarchs at No. 16 in the second round, and Pablo Sandoval (37), a three-time World Series winner, joined the Abu Dhabi Falcons at No. 4 in the first round, for a total of 44. 100 professional players joined.
They are scheduled to make their debut in Dubai on November 24th and 25th in a friendly match between Baseball United East All-Stars and West All-Stars.