They said they had narrowed their differences, but they were vague in the first place…KIA and FA Seo Geon-chang's dilemma
Jan 06, 2025
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KIA and Seo Geon-chang have talked steadily since the opening of the FA. Seo Geon-chang is expected to have high expectations for the contract period and amount as he applied for his first FA right after four moves. Seo Geon-chang had a batting average of 0.310 (63 hits in 203 at-bats) and an OPS of 0.820 in 94 games last season. While playing as a backup, he contributed to KIA's overall victory by proving why he topped 200 hits (201 hits) for the first time in KBO history in 2014. If the grade is this high, even if the salary negotiations are conducted, they will be subject to an increase.
The problem is the value of the future. KIA actually played one season without its main first baseman last year. Lee Woo-sung (670 ⅓ innings), Byun Woo-hyuk (314 innings) and Seo Geon-chang (276 ⅔ innings) seemed to share, but KIA has not found the right person to take over the first baseman until this year. This is the background of the picture of using Patrick Wisdom, a new foreign hitter, as a first baseman.
It is very disadvantageous for domestic players to compete in the same position with foreign batters. It is no exaggeration to say that the proportion of foreign batters in the KBO League is half of the team's offensive power. The fact that foreign hitters are behind in the competition with domestic players means failure to recruit. KIA expects Wisdom to prove the value of 88 home runs in the Major League at-bat by keeping the first base solid throughout this season.
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It's not just a matter of Seo Geon-chang. Other domestic players were also on fire. In order to secure time to play, Lee Woo-sung decided to re-enter the competition to occupy a spot in the outfield without Socrates Brito, and infielder Byun Woo-hyuk was in a situation where he had to prepare for a backup to the first and third bases. Seo Geon-chang, who is in the FA market, is only having a slightly colder winter than them.
In order for Seo Geon-chang to sign a better contract than the conditions currently offered by KIA, a new club that wants him must appear. The club, which intends to appoint Seo Geon-chang, should show its intention to recruit him, but so far, it has been quiet. Seo Geon-chang's FA grade is C grade, which is not large in compensation, but with the introduction of the salary cap system, the amount that the club can spend on the team per year is limited, so it is difficult for even C-grade players to transfer freely these days. Seo Geon-chang is also an elderly player in his late 30s, and another obstacle is that he failed to play as a full-time starter for three consecutive seasons from 2022 when he was with the LG Twins until last year when he moved to KIA. This is why it is difficult to expect both long-term contracts and high amounts.
KIA has continued to negotiate with Seo Geon-chang so far because it helps strengthen the depth even though it is difficult to guarantee the starting lineup. It is certainly a plus to keep Seo Geon-chang as a backup card in that case because injuries always occur in a season. In that sense, the club internally would have agreed to present contract terms equivalent to those of backup players. Of course, Seo Geon-chang would have been difficult to accept right away. From the beginning, negotiations began in an ambiguous situation where neither the club nor the players could be satisfied.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
