With the free agency market expected to be hot again this year, with contracts worth 11.9 billion won signed in a single day, attention is turning to the fate of the only remaining slugger, Yang Seok-hwan (31).
The KBO announced the list of 19 players who were approved for free agency on Nov. 18. Yang Seok-hwan, Kim Jae-yoon, Ahn Chi-hong, Jeon Jun-woo, and Ham Deok-ju were among the big-name free agents who were expected to sign big contracts, but the general consensus was that they were unlikely to sign contracts close to or exceeding 10 billion won like last winter.
However, within two days of the FA market opening, contracts worth a total of 11.9 billion won were signed. First, Lotte retained its franchise star by announcing a four-year, $4.7 billion contract ($4 billion guaranteed and $700 million in incentives) with internal free agent Jeon Jun-woo on the morning of the 20th. Later in the afternoon, Hanwha surprised fans by signing Ahn Chi-hong to a 4+2-year deal totaling 7.2 billion won (4 years guaranteed, 4 billion won in options, 8 billion won in mutual options, 2 years guaranteed, 1.3 billion won in options).
Jeon is a veteran hitter with a career batting average of .325 (6775 hits, 1812 runs), 196 home runs, 888 RBIs, and an OPS of .829 in 1616 KBO games. He’ll be 38 next year, but he showed he’s still got it this year, batting .301 (154-for-493) with 17 homers, 먹튀검증 77 RBIs and an OPS of .852 in 138 games. The deal gives Lotte a one-club man in Jeon, who has played exclusively for Lotte since joining the organization in 2008.
Ahn Chi-hong made another move in his second free agency.
After batting .1620 (2-for-9) with 140 homers, 843 RBIs, and an .800 OPS in 1620 KBO games (5677 hits, 1687 at-bats), Ahn batted 2-for-9 (2-for-12) with eight homers, 63 RBIs, and a .774 OPS in 121 games this year (425 hits, 124 at-bats). It’s unfortunate that he didn’t hit more than 10 home runs, but his productivity at the plate wasn’t bad.
With Jeon Jun-woo and Ahn Chi-hong finalizing their free agent contracts early, Yang Seok-hwan was the only big name left in the outfield. At 32 years old, Yang is younger than Jun-woo Jeon and Chi-hong Ahn, but he has the power to hit over 20 home runs in his career. In his KBO career, Yang batted .265 (3024-for-801) with 122 homers, 499 RBIs and a .758 OPS in 897 games, and this year he batted .288 (524-for-147) with 21 homers, 89 RBIs and a .787 OPS in 140 games, marking his third straight year with 20 homers. He did this in Jamsil Stadium, an extremely pitcher-friendly ballpark.
Considering his age and power, Yang is more attractive than Jeon Jun-woo and Ahn Chi-hong. However, both Jun-woo Jeon and Chi-hong Ahn received a B grade in their second free agency, while Seok-hwan Yang received an A grade in his first free agency. His FA compensation (1 compensated player (20 protected players) + 200% of his annual salary or 300% of his annual salary) is larger than that of Jeon and Ahn, so teams looking to sign him will have to think twice.
Another variable in the market for Yang is the secondary draft.
With the veteran bats in SSG not counting towards the 35-man roster, there are teams watching closely. Teams that are successful in adding bats in the second round may be less interested in Yang.
However, 스포츠토토사이트 the free agent market seems to be hotter than expected. Jeon Jun-woo, who re-signed with Lotte, revealed that there was competition for his services, saying, “There were better offers from other teams.” Ahn Chi-hong was also reportedly pursued by a number of clubs, including Hanwha.
With the free agency market heating up more than expected this winter, fans are eagerly awaiting to see which team will sign the last remaining outfielder, Yang Seok-hwan.
