Lotte signs Jeon Jun-woo for 4 years and 4.7 billion won, 'first FA contract'
Hanwha strengthens power by recruiting Ahn Chi-hong and Samsung recruits Kim Jae-yoon
The professional baseball free agent (FA) market is heating up. This year's free agent market seems to be led by low-ranking teams opening their wallets.
The Lotte Giants started this free agency market. Lotte, which was unable to maintain its sensational momentum at the beginning of the season and ended up in 7th place, signed outfielder Jeon Jun-woo (37), an internal free agent, on the 20th for up to 4.7 billion won over 4 years.
Considering the repercussions of the departure of franchise star Jeon Jun-woo (a player representing the club and region), 카지노사이트랭크 Lotte put great effort into signing the contract.
Lotte released more money this year for Jeon Jun-woo, who earned his first free agent qualification four years ago and stayed on with a four-year contract worth up to 3.4 billion won. The guaranteed amount alone is 4 billion won. Considering that he is an outfielder who is already well over 30, Lotte's big bet stands out even more. After Jeon Jun-woo finishes his career as a player, he promised to support overseas coaching training for two years.
In the end, Jeon Jun-woo rejected offers from other clubs and chose to remain as a ‘one-club man’ at Lotte.
His second free agent contract came from the Hanwha Eagles, who finished the season in 9th place this year.
On the afternoon of the same day, Hanwha announced that it had signed infielder Ahn Chi-hong (34) for up to six years and 7.2 billion won. Ahn Chi-hong, who has guarded Lotte's infield for the past four years, is evaluated to add weight in both offense and defense at Hanwha.
Hanwha General Manager Son Hyuk expressed his affection by saying, “There was no reason to hesitate to recruit Ahn Chi-hong because he was a player who possessed both the ‘consistency and sincerity’ that our team needed.” He added, “We tried to satisfy the player’s needs.” did.
And on the 22nd, the Samsung Lions announced a contract with Kim Jae-yoon (33), the closing pitcher who has been protecting the back door of the KT Wiz. Samsung gave Kim Jae-yoon 4 years and up to 5.8 billion won. Samsung, which fell short of expectations by finishing in 8th place this season, showed its will to strengthen its power by recruiting an external free agent for the first time in 3 years since infielder Oh Jae-il (37) in 2020.
Samsung, which was anxious about its 'back' in the 2023 season due to Koo Jin-jin's ERA ranking 10th (5.16), can now look forward to a more comfortable '9th inning' with the addition of Kim Jae-yoon, who posted a total of 169 saves in the KBO League.
Recruiting free agents is the surest and fastest way to strengthen power. There is no clearer reinforcement than bringing in a player with proven skills in a weak position.
The lower-ranked teams, who identified problems throughout the season, appear to be moving quickly this winter and are busy laying the foundation for a leap forward next season. 섯다