“There is also a multi-year contract for Choi Hyung-woo…”
Technically, the KIA Tigers are not obligated to give their slugger Choi Hyung-woo (40) a multi-year contract.
Choi ended his three-year, 4.7 billion won free agent contract after this season.
He will have to wait another year to become a free agent again.
He could sign a one-year deal this winter and hope for a better deal on the free agent market.
But it’s more likely that he’ll sign a non-free agent extension or a multi-year deal with Kia, because as he enters his 40s, stability may be more important than team choice.
He’ll listen to Kia’s offer and decide, but if they treat him well, he’ll likely sign and finish his career with Kia.
In any case, it’s not time for Choi to retire at this point, and Kia has categorized him as a non-free agent multi-year contract candidate.
President Shim Jae-hak said so when he signed Kim Tae-gun to a three-year, 2.5 billion won contract before the final home two-game series against the NC Dinos last week.
Traditionally, KIA hasn’t shied away from veterans.
Certainly, it would be the oldest non-free agent multi-year deal ever.
No non-FA long-term signing has ever been in his 40s. Furthermore, it’s impossible to top Oh Ji-hwan (LG, 6 years, 12.4 billion won) and Koo Ja-rook (Samsung, 5 years, 12 billion won).
Both were signed at the peak of their careers, making them highly valued for their future.
In particular, Oh’s contract is effective from 2024, when he becomes a free agent.
The next largest contract after the two is the 5-year, 6 billion won Hanyusum (SSG).
If Choi Hyung-woo finds it difficult to surpass Hanyusum, the question is whether he can actually surpass Kim Tae-gun’s three-year, 2.5 billion won deal.
The smallest multi-year contract for a non-free agent beast is Lee Won-seok (Kiwoom)’s 2+1 year, 1 billion won deal. 바카라사이트
Non-FA multi-year contracts are single-window negotiations, so it’s generally accepted that they’re worth slightly less than free agent contracts.
Given that there is virtually no chance that Choi Hyung-woo will leave KIA, KIA’s valuation is an absolute variable.
In 121 games, Choi hit .302 with 17 home runs, 81 RBIs, 64 runs scored, an OPS of .887 and a slugging percentage of .317.
This year, Choi has returned to the batter’s box after two years of struggles.
He surpassed Doosan’s Lee Seung-yeop in RBIs and doubles, making him a living legend.
Still, there aren’t many players in the KBO with his clutch ability.
How much will Choi’s contract be, then, is very difficult to predict.
With two free agent contracts and a total of 14.7 billion won, he ranks ninth on the list of free agent chaebols.
But that’s all in the past.
Contracts should be based on future value.
Both Kia and Choi Hyung-woo are probably calculating a reasonable line.