OnlyBucs

1909083F2929254A0 wrote: I really disagree.  What if they release him and then he is allowed to come over to play baseball?



He isn't hurting the team with a roster spot or salary.  There is no reason to release him.  If he wants to play (or can play) MLB again, he comes to the Pirates or someone has to make a trade for him. 



The Pirates can still find a long term 3B option and they should.  But if the unexpected happens, Kang is a Pirate and owned by the Pirates.


So, if this drags on into 2018 and he doesn't make it back, you still keep him?   


Yes.



The "dragging on" doesn't matter. It is not hurting anything: Not blocking anyone, not wasting money.

0010112630303C530 wrote: I really disagree.  What if they release him and then he is allowed to come over to play baseball?



He isn't hurting the team with a roster spot or salary.  There is no reason to release him.  If he wants to play (or can play) MLB again, he comes to the Pirates or someone has to make a trade for him. 



The Pirates can still find a long term 3B option and they should.  But if the unexpected happens, Kang is a Pirate and owned by the Pirates.


So, if this drags on into 2018 and he doesn't make it back, you still keep him?  There will come a point in time where the Bucs need to cut bait if this continues for greater lengths. 


Like Dog I'm not sure I see the urgency in doing anything with regard to Kang. As Dog suggests the Pirates would be wise to consider a long term alternative for 3B because of Kang's legal status, but he remains a potential asset that is costing the organization nothing in salary and is not taking up a 40 man roster spot.



If/when he returns to MLB the Pirates can either play him or trade him depending on what they think of Kang at that point with regard to the needs of the team. I see no harm at all in letting him remain in legal limbo under the Pirates' control.

Hopefully Korea is like the US and after his two years of probation are up, the judge usually dismisses the sentence and he's done. 



So let's say he can't get a Visa until that's done, assuming his contract clock still ticks while on restricted list, we have a 5.5 mil team option on him for the 2019 season.



Why on Earth would you release him when he's not getting paid and not burning a roster spot??  My goodness. ::)



Of course, always a chance that he's granted the Visa and resume playing next year or maybe even this year.

7D6D6C5B4D4D412E0 wrote: I really disagree.  What if they release him and then he is allowed to come over to play baseball?



He isn't hurting the team with a roster spot or salary.  There is no reason to release him.  If he wants to play (or can play) MLB again, he comes to the Pirates or someone has to make a trade for him. 



The Pirates can still find a long term 3B option and they should.  But if the unexpected happens, Kang is a Pirate and owned by the Pirates.


So, if this drags on into 2018 and he doesn't make it back, you still keep him?  There will come a point in time where the Bucs need to cut bait if this continues for greater lengths. 


Nah.  There's no reason to do anything except hold his contract as long as we're allowed. Why give him an "out?"

677A5E5C52370 wrote: 8 month suspended jail sentence, 2 year probation.   Sounds like he's going to have very small chance to get that Visa this season but pretty good chance next year.



Hopefully we do everything we can to get him here working asap


May I ask where you heard that or what that is based on?  I was under the impression that his visa was denied because he's essentially a repeat criminal or felon or whatever the classification may be at this point.  His basis for appealing the conviction seemed to be a desperation move to try to get the sentence overturned so the whole convicted criminal thing would no longer be accurate and he could then re-apply and hopefully get a visa.  Certainly it could be far more complicated than that, but my fear is that for visa-issuance purposes he isn't going to be viewed as less of a convicted criminal next year - or ever again for that matter.


Well, he was a convicted criminal after one DUI and still got a Visa after the 2nd.   



I think it's going to be easier to grant the visa after the 8months has passed and he's past that and waiting out his probation. 



I think it's an easy decision to let him have a work visa.   He would generate a few million dollars in tax revenue. 


To be clear, he was given an 8 month prison sentence.  That prison sentence was suspended 2 years.  Then likely probation after the 2 year suspended time (assuming he doesn't get in any more trouble).



Given that timeline, I think he is done with the Pirates.  I think they were hoping that the sentence would be reduced to just a fine like the last two times.  I am pretty sure the sentence is the difference maker here.  Nothing changes in 8 months.  It changes in 2 years.  His contract will be over with the Pirates.  I think it's pretty clear he's done with the Pirates.


Well if you really want to "be clear" after the 2 year probation we would have a 2019 5.5 million team option.   He's under team control /under contract.



In addition, in the US anyway, the suspended sentence is the probation and generally when that probation ends, the sentence is dismissed. 



All of this CERTAINTY in this thread that Kang will never play MLB again because he's a criminal ignores the fact that he was a criminal not once, but twice before this since 2009 and got a Visa no problem.



He even got a multi-million dollar major league contract without the signing team doing a criminal background check on him.





You can't get a decent normal job in the US and hide two DUIs and this team signed him for millions and didn't check. f that doesn't show that anything is possible, I don't know what does