One game is precious. Thanks to KIA, I played four times as an FA...Why is it slower to negotiate than it was to be released
Jan 02, 2025
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Seo Geon-chang (36) asked the LG Twins to release him ahead of last season. At that time, he delayed his FA application twice and tried to rebound, but he only hit 0.200 (22 hits in 110 at-bats) in 44 games in 2023. When Seo Geon-chang wanted to move to a team with a little more opportunity, the KIA Tigers reached out. KIA gave a total of 120 million won in contracts, including 50 million won in annual salary and 70 million won in incentives.
It was clear why KIA recruited Seo Geon-chang. It was hoped that Seo Geon-chang would help young infielders in the team grow with veteran second baseman Kim Sun-bin (36). Even if he took a step back as a backup, he hoped to share his professional career experience with young juniors on the bench.
Seo Geon-chang was able to enjoy the ground more thanks to KIA. At the beginning of the season, when Seo Geon-chang did not have his first hit of the season amid irregular opportunities to play as a backup, coach Lee Bum-ho and coaches silently cheered him up by shouting "Fighting". Seo Geon-chang had three hits starting with his first hit of the season against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on March 31 last year. Seo Geon-chang's first hit late on, Kia teammates celebrated and rejoiced as if it were their own business.
After recording his first hit in the transfer, Seo Geon-chang said, `If you just pass by, you always give me strength. It's nothing more than that. I know that feeling well, and both the coach and the coaches cheer me up, and I just felt that feeling. A word of fighting, I think it's all in those three letters. I'm just trying to do what I do. I didn't even try to do too well, but I focused on what I could do."
In the good atmosphere of KIA, which won the integrated championship, Seo Geon-chang was also on a roll. He had a batting average of 0.310 (63 hits in 203 at-bats), 26 RBIs, 40 runs scored, and an OPS of 0.820 in 94 games last year. Although he did not fill the regular at-bat because he was a backup, he announced his revival by hitting more than 30% in the season for the first time in five years since 2019, when he was a Kiwoom Heroes player. Since he contributed to the team's victory with his Altoran-like performance, Seo Geon-chang took out his FA application, which he cherished and cherished after four moves.
However, Seo Geon-chang remains an undocumented contractor about two months after the FA market opened. While pitchers Jang Hyun-sik (30, LG Twins transfer) and Lim Ki-young (32), who exercised their FA rights together in KIA, successfully signed the contract one after another, only Seo Geon-chang has not been able to find an answer. Jang Hyun-sik left the team by signing a four-year contract of 5.2 billion won with LG, and Lim Ki-young remained at KIA for three years and 1.5 billion won.
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Nevertheless, the reason why the contract has not been signed so far is because there are differences between the club and the players. Negotiations were delayed because Seo Geon-chang, who recently married, went on a honeymoon, but there were many opportunities to do so to tie the knot early.
In order for Seo Geon-chang to raise the ransom at this point, there must be competition from other clubs. Seo Geon-chang's compensation scale is small because it is FAC grade, but there has been no movement to recruit outside until now. The obstacles are his age in his late 30s, defense that he lacks as a second baseman, and batting that he lacks as a first baseman. Seo Geon-chang's batting index itself was good this year, but he was not coolly the main player. At the end of 2021, Seo has never played 100 games in the first team and exceeded 250 at-bats. Therefore, it is difficult for KIA to give a large contract no matter how much treatment they give.
Seo Geon-chang won the MVP that year with 201 hits in 2014 when he was a Nexen Heroes player, writing the first 200 hits in KBO history. The outstanding hit production ability has been shown again this year, but it is true that it is difficult to expect a contract from a key player.
It is now up to Seo Geon-chang's judgment. I wonder if Seo Geon-chang will find a compromise with KIA in the near future, or if he will look a little further to the spring camp and wait for variables to occur at other clubs.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
