INCHEON, Unceremoniously dumped by a team he'd played with for over two decades, new Hanwha Eagles outfielder Kim Kang-min said Tuesday he harbors no hard feelings toward his former club. The 41-year-old insisted he is only focused on helping his downtrodden team climb up the standings in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). In November, the SSG Landers left Kim off their 35-man protected list for the KBO's "secondary draft," in which other teams can claim any player not on that list. Older players seen to be on the downhill of their careers are often left exposed, and the Landers assumed that Kim, who only batted .226 in 70 games in 2023, would not be picked up by anyone. The Landers instead protected their younger prospects, but then the Eagles swooped in and drafted Kim to be the sage leader for their young outfield corps. Landers fans were up in arms over the club's poor handling of the well-respected Kim, who made his KBO debut with the Landers franchise in 2002 when they were the SK Wyverns under different ownership. The situation eventually led to general manager Kim Sung-yong being stripped of his duties. In 1,919 career games, Kim Kang-min has a .274 lifetime batting average with 138 home runs and 674 RBIs. Among active players, Kim ranks ninth in games played. He won five Korean Series titles with the Wyverns/Landers and was voted the series MVP in 2022. Kim contemplated retirement but decided to extend his career with the Eagles. And on Tuesday, before departing for spring training in Australia, Kim spoke to the media for the first time since the controversial draft. "I lost sleep last night, thinking about what kind of questions I'd get here," the gregarious Kim said with a smile at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. "I am sorry that I made you guys wait for so long. I appreciate your patience." Kim said he didn't have much time to think of anything other than helping the Eagles over the offseason. "I am a professional baseball player, and my focus has been on baseball," Kim said . "I've been thinking about ways to help this team on the field. So I started working out early. I am excited about playing for the new team. The uniform felt a little strange at first, but I think I should get used to it in no time." The Eagles have not been to the postseason since 2018, and that was their first trip to the playoffs in 11 years. Since 2019, the Eagles ranked ninth, 10th, 10th, 10th and ninth in the 10-team KBO. Kim said he was determined to change the narrative. "I will do everything in my power to put this team back on track," Kim said. "I will try to help the team first as a ball player and then think about my role as a veteran in the clubhouse." Kim also took the opportunity to thank Landers fans. "I will never forget the time I spent with that team," Kim said. "I am still a huge fan of the SSG ball club. They still have guys that I've played with for a long time. I don't have hard feelings toward that team." Kim donned No. 0 on his back for most of his Landers career but has switche d to No. 9 with the Eagles. "I felt No. 0 would be something that Landers fans would remember me by, and I wanted Eagles fans to see a different number on my back," Kim said. "I chose No. 9 because it's similar with 0 and I wanted a single-digit number. I wore No. 9 before on the national team and so I was a bit familiar with it." Kim said he wouldn't mind spending time in the minor league as long as it's for the right reasons. "If I end up in the minors, it will be one of the two reasons," Kim said. "It will be either because the young guys will play so well that the team no longer needs me, or because I am just playing terribly. I hope it's the former." Source: Yonhap News Agency