"Finally, I succeeded in 4th FA..." KIA's new bride turned out to have a reason why she didn't guarantee the full amount
"Finally, I succeeded in 4th FA..." KIA's new bride turned out to have a reason why she didn't guarantee the full amount
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The KIA Tigers of professional baseball succeeded in signing the last remaining internal FA (free agent) infielder Seo Geon-chang (36).
KIA said on the 9th, "I signed an FA contract with Seo Geon-chang for a total of 500 million won, including a down payment of 100 million won, an annual salary of 240 million won, and an option of 160 million won during the contract period of 1+1." KIA added, "The contract in 2026 will be automatically extended if the option in 2025 is met."
Seo Geon-chang, who once played as a second baseman representing the KBO League, finally signed his first FA contract after four FA moves. After signing the FA contract, Seo said through his club, "I am happy to play for my hometown team once again. As a senior player, I also feel responsible. This is what the club needs. I will work with young players to lift the trophy in Gwangju this season as well."
However, what is unique about Seo's contract with the FA is that it is not a full guarantee contract. What is the reason? "I clearly had a plan to utilize Seo in the field. I also clearly considered Seo's good role when the first baseman was unavailable last year," an official at Kia said in a telephone interview with Star News on Wednesday.
"However, it is true that the FA has no choice but to consider many things from the team's point of view. Expectations for the future must also be clearly considered, and there are areas where young players must be nurtured. We also need to keep in mind the areas where young players such as Yoon Do-hyun and Park Min should be given some opportunities. So, from the team's point of view, we had no choice but to sign an option contract of 1+1 year."
A KIA official continued, "Of course, the best thing is that Seo Geon-chang will also perform well and achieve the option and join us next year. Then the team's performance will also go up," and added, "Then the individual and the team will be good." Seo Geon-chang must perform well to prove a reasonable reason for having to sign a contract. It will also be a motivation. If the team achieves the option, it does not mean that the club has an unreasonable contract. Of course, there were differences in position at first, but he explained the club's position well and accepted it well, so we were able to narrow the difference." Regarding the option, he added, "Of course, it is not an option for the main players. I think it is a level that can be achieved if he performs as well as he did last season."
Seo Geon-chang has dominated the era as a second baseman representing the KBO league. He has received the Golden Glove award three times (2012, 2014 and 2016). After being released after joining the LG Twins as a nurturing player in 2008, he showed full-fledged skills with the Nexen Heroes (currently Kiwoom). He was named the Rookie of the Year in 2012 and the MVP of the season in 2014. Notably, he set a new record of 200 hits (201) for the first time in the KBO league in 2014. His batting average of 0.370. In the 2016 season, he posted a batting average of 0.325, 182 hits, seven homers, 63 RBIs, and 0.847 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).
It was in 2021 that Seo made a big change. In July of that year, Seo left the Kiwoom Heroes through a 1:1 trade with Jeong Chan-heon to wear the LG Twins uniform. While transferring, Seo remained firmly at second base as a veteran by playing in all games (144 games). Seo had a batting average of 0.253, six homers, 52 RBIs, 78 points, and OPS of 0.693. Of course, his performance was unsatisfactory compared to his performance in his heyday. Worse yet, his FA rating was upgraded from B to A along with his transfer. In the end, he became a free agent that year, but he boldly gave up and chose to try again.
Seo's chances to play in the 2022 season then declined. He recorded a batting average of 0.224 with two homers, 18 RBIs and 39 runs scored with an OPS of 0.605 in 77 games. Eventually, Seo, who received an A grade in the 2022 season, made the final decision to give up his right to apply as an FA again. Seo then chose to join the team as third baseman for the 2023 season. He got off to a good start, posting the batting average of 0.362 in an exhibition game. He also served as the starting second baseman for the opening game. However, he showed poor performance and was notified of his return to the second division in May. While Seo was away for a while, a Cinderella named Shin Min-jae appeared. Eventually, she left the team after the season ended, asking for her to be released.
With the 2024 season just around the corner, Seo has been struggling to build up his physical fitness by continuing to train in his hometown of Gwangju. 스포츠토토 The team that gave him a hand was the fourth baseman of the Kia Tigers. Seo did his best as always. He played in 94 games in 2024, posting a batting average of 0.310 (63 hits in 203 at-bats), one homer, two doubles, one triple, 40 runs scored and three steals (one failed), 36 walks, and achieved a perfect rebound with 31 strikeouts and a 0.404 on-base plus slugging percentage (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.820, a batting average of 0.344 in the scoring area, and a batting average of 0.346.
Seo played the role of backup first baseman and second baseman evenly, displaying stellar performance like an Altoran. Notably, he posted a high batting average of 0.375 (24 hits in 77 at-bats in 34 games) in the second half of the year, contributing significantly to Kia's overall win. He won the Korean Series for the first time in his life. After the end of the season, he finally exercised his dream of becoming an FA. Personally, he was happy as well. On April 14, he signed a 100-year-old contract with his bride Park Jong-mi, welcoming his lifelong partner. Finally, he succeeded in signing an FA contract, and now he can enjoy the Gwangju-KIA Champions Field in the 2025 season with ease.