Ji-Man Choi: 'No hard feelings' for Pirates after being blocked for WBC, losing in arbitration

BRADENTON, Fla. — Ji-Man Choi was traded, underwent surgery on his right elbow, was blocked from playing for Korea in the World Baseball Classic and lost his arbitration hearing.

Safe to say, the Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman/designated hitter was ready to put a turbulent offseason behind him when he reported to spring training Friday at Pirate City.

Now, Choi wants to focus on the present.

“No hard feelings right now,” Choi said Sunday morning through translator Jung Hoon Na, a Pirates scout. “It is what it is. I want to focus on the team right now. I want to build a relationship with the players here.”

After being acquired in a trade from Tampa Bay last November, Choi had surgery to remove bone chips but said his elbow is feeling “much better” and there are no restrictions. Choi participated in infield drills at first base Saturday along with fellow veteran Carlos Santana, who signed as a free agent in November.

Ji-Man Choi and Carlos Santana taking grounders at first base Saturday morning at Pirate City. pic.twitter.com/pIPanhAiAo

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 18, 2023

“I’ve been hitting live BPs even before I got here,” Choi said. “I’m good.”

When the Pirates made a medical objection to prevent Choi from playing in the WBC, he released a statement through his agent saying he was “deeply hurt” by the decision and “devastated” that he couldn’t represent his country.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton on his message in a talk with Ji-Man Choi, who is recovering from elbow surgery and was blocked by the team from playing in the WBC. pic.twitter.com/1LGYNMVoRR

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 19, 2023

Manager Derek Shelton said the Pirates prioritized Choi’s health and didn’t expect it to be an issue.

“He had a smile on his face. It was a good conversation,” Shelton said Sunday. “Understand he’s disappointed a little bit in the WBC stuff, but we have to make sure that we get him ready for the season. That’s what we conveyed to him, and he seemed to be in a good spot.”

After conversations with Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington, Choi didn’t express any disappointment.

“I respect the team’s decision,” Choi said. “It is what it is. I want to go forward.”

The Pirates acquired the 31-year-old Choi, who has a .239/.345/.429 slash line with 61 home runs and 225 RBIs in seven major-league seasons, to help plug a gaping hole at first base. Coming off a season in which he slashed .233/.341/.388 with 22 doubles, 11 homers and 52 RBIs in 113 games, Choi requested $5.4 million in arbitration but will be paid $4.65 million — a $750,000 difference — this season.

Cherington said Thursday the Pirates expected Choi to be “fine.”

“He’s on the right track,” Cherington said. “But his offseason was different than they had been in the past. And, yes, that was part of the conversation about the WBC. At the time those decisions were made, it wasn’t clear that he was going to be fully ready to participate in a way that you’d want a player to be. So we had some concern about that and had a conversation with him. But we anticipate that where he is now, he’ll be fully ready by the time we get ready to play this season.”