Good-Bye Mets; Hello Dodgers

Well, they didn’t trade him when he asked.

Seo Jae-ung of the New York Mets, who was once suspected of being headed to Tampa Bay, was instead traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers yesterday.

The Mets announced their decision to send Seo and a relief pitcher to Dodgers and for setup man Duane Sanchez and minor leaguer Steve Schumoll.

Seo welcomed the trade in a message delivered through his dad, Seo Byeong-guan, saying, “It’s sad to be leaving New York, but I prefer the Dodgers over Tampa Bay.”

The Dodgers have another Korean player on their roster, Choi Hee-seop (27), who graduated from the same high school as Seo.

Seo will also enjoy a good fan base since there are many Koreans living in Los Angeles.

Seo, who joined the Mets in 1997 and who once hoped to stay in New York, asked to be traded after the 2004 season. He allegedly had some trouble with Mets pitching coach Rick Paterson and was not getting fair chances.

However the Mets stuck with Seo. He got back on his feet last year and ended the season with a record of 8 wins, 2 losses, and an ERA of 2.59.

But the Mets decided to trade Seo in order to address their need for a better bullpen and the Dodgers’ need for a better starter.

Seo’s trade to the Dodgers means that all five Korea-born major leaguers: Seo, Park Chan-ho (San Diego), Kim Byung-hyun, Kim Sun-woo (Colorado), and Choi Hee-seop have been traded. Since they are all now playing in the western U.S., there will be more chance of them playing against one another.

uni@donga.com