'Up to 2.1 billion won in compensation' FA's biggest fish Kang Baek-ho, which team will take if the price soars to 10 billion won
'Up to 2.1 billion won in compensation' FA's biggest fish Kang Baek-ho, which team will take if the price soars to 10 billion won
Blog Article
The preliminary FA premium is amazing. As Kang Baek-ho of the KT Wiz in the professional baseball league recorded a huge salary increase, attention is already paid to his move as a free agent after this season.
Prior to his departure for the spring camp, KT already renewed his contract with 64 players and renewed his contract with them. Kang renewed his contract with 700 million won, an increase of 410 million won (11.4 percent) from last year's 290 million won (290 million won).
Kang Baek-ho has been on the decline for two consecutive years from 2022-2023 due to injuries and sluggishness, but he regained his previous good form last year. He played in all 144 games with a batting average of 289 (159 hits in 550 at-bats), 26 home runs, 96 RBIs, .360 slugging percentage, and .480 OPS.840.
In 2022, Kang had a batting average of 245, six homers and 29 RBIs in 62 games, and in 2023, he had a slump with a batting average of 265, eight homers and 39 RBIs in 71 games. Kang had an annual salary of 550 million won in 2022. It was his highest salary in his fifth year. However, it was drastically cut to 290 million won in 2023, and was frozen in 2024.
Kang Baek-ho, who also played as a backup catcher with the introduction of ABS last year, played in all games in good health, setting his second career record in both home runs and RBIs.
Although Kang Baek-ho rebounded with good performance last year, the annual salary of 700 million won is more than his performance. Kang Baek-ho will become an FA if he meets the number of registration days this season. Many say that the annual salary of 700 million won includes a considerable preliminary FA premium.
KT failed to hold Kang Baek-ho on a multi-year contract before he became an FA. Kang Baek-ho is likely to be evaluated by 10 teams in the FA market. If Kang Baek-ho shows the same performance as last year again this year, it is worth trying to sign a 10 billion FA contract.
Kang will become an FA A-level official. When a Class A FA moves to another team, the recruiting team must compensate one compensation player and 200 percent of the previous year's salary, in addition to 20 protected players, or 300 percent of the previous year's salary. Teams that recruit Kang must send KT W2.1 billion or W1.4 billion, plus 20 protected players and a compensation player. 메이저놀이터
It will not be easy for KT to catch Kang, who is hoping for "10 billion units." KT let go of its main starter and main shortstop in the FA market this winter. Pitcher Um Sang-baek signed a four-year maximum contract of 7.8 billion won with Hanwha. Shortstop Shim Woo-joon left for Hanwha under a four-year maximum contract of 5 billion won.
KT failed to catch closer Kim Jae-yoon after the 2023 season, and Kim Jae-yoon signed a four-year, up to 5.8 billion won FA contract with Samsung. KT's recruitment of Hwang Jae-gyun, who returned from the U.S. ahead of the 2018 season, for four years and 8.8 billion won was the highest in the team's FA contract.
An annual salary of 700 million won will provide motivation for Kang, and he will be able to receive a large amount of compensation if he moves to the FA. Kang played 169 ⅔ innings in 30 games as a backup catcher last year. Most of them played as designated hitters, and outfielders played 24 innings last year. He successfully changed his position from designated hitter + right fielder to designated hitter + backup catcher.
Of course, he did not work with left-handed pitchers and foreign pitchers as well as the first to third starters, but mostly managed to form batteries with the fourth to fifth starters. Still, he played as a backup catcher to facilitate the use of designated hitters, and helped arrange the physical strength of Jang Song-woo, the main catcher. If he increases his playing time and value as a catcher, his value could rise further.