KBO franchise icons chase ring, money as they switch clubs in free agency

유지호 / 2021-12-30 10:19:46

baseball-free agency

▲ New KT Wiz infielder Park Byung-ho (L) shakes hands with the club CEO Nam Sang-bong after signing a three-year contract with the Korea Baseball Organization team on Dec. 29, 2021, in this photo provided by the Wiz. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ New Kia Tigers' outfielder Na Sung-bum poses for a photo after signing a six-year free agent contract with the team on Dec. 23, 2021, in this photo provided by the Tigers. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ New NC Dinos' outfielder Son Ah-seop poses for a photo after signing with the club on Dec. 24, 2021, in this photo provided by the Dinos. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Doosan Bears' outfielder Kim Jae-hwan poses after signing a free agent deal with the Korea Baseball Organization club on Dec. 17, 2021, in this photo provided by the Bears. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Outfielder Park Kun-woo poses in his new NC Dinos jumper after signing a free agent deal with the Korea Baseball Organization club on Dec. 14, 2021, in this photo provided by the Dinos. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

baseball-free agency

KBO franchise icons chase ring, money as they switch clubs in free agency

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Yonhap) -- After a whirlwind of offseason transactions, there will be some familiar players in unfamiliar uniforms in South Korean baseball in 2022.

Players who had spent over a decade with one team have moved on to other clubs -- to chase an elusive championship ring and, if they're being honest, boatloads of money.

Park Byung-ho, who won two regular season MVPs with the Kiwoom Heroes, on Wednesday became the latest franchise icon to switch teams this month. He signed a three-year, 3 billion won (US$2.5 million) contract with the KT Wiz, after almost 11 seasons with the Kiwoom Heroes.

Though Park was drafted by the LG Twins in 2004, it wasn't until after he joined the Heroes in a July 2011 trade that he developed into one of the most feared sluggers of his generation in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

He had only 25 home runs in 288 games as a Twin, and then launched 302 home runs in 1,026 games as a Hero. Park won back-to-back MVP awards in 2012 and 2013. Then he hit 52 homers in 2014 and 53 in 2015, becoming the first player in KBO history to belt 50-plus home runs in consecutive years. He parlayed those gaudy numbers into his first major league contract with the Minnesota Twins before the 2016 season.

Park returned home and rejoined the Heroes before the 2018 season, and smacked 43 home runs that year like good old times.

Park's power numbers have faded recently, but the 35-year-old has remained almost synonymous with the Heroes, a quiet veteran who has often been lauded for his professionalism and exemplary work ethic. And his emergence as an MVP-winning slugger coincided with the Heroes' evolution into a frequent postseason participant.

Park has played in two Korean Series with the Heroes but is still searching for his first title. By joining the defending champions Wiz, Park has given himself a strong chance to finally grab his ring.

Park said he hopes the change of scenery will work some magic for him.

"Things didn't go the way I wanted them to the past two years, and I was disappointed with myself," he said. "I'd like to turn things around as a member of KT and help the team win a championship again."

Last Thursday, an All-Star outfielder Na Sung-bum left the NC Dinos to sign a six-year, 15 billion contract with the Kia Tigers. It tied the record for the largest free agent contract in KBO history.

Na had been with the Dinos since Day 1. He was selected in the second round by the Dinos in their inaugural draft in 2011. He spent one season with the rest of the team in the minor league before the Dinos joined the big boys in the KBO in 2013.

The former collegiate pitcher thrived as a hard-hitting outfielder as a pro. The Dinos won their first Korean Series title in 2020, as Na batted .458 with a home run and six RBIs in six games. He has topped 30 homers and 100 RBIs in each of the past two seasons and the Tigers are betting that Na, 32, has a lot more left in his tank as he joins his hometown team in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul.

The Dinos lost one franchise icon in Na, and to address that gaping hole, they went out and signed two stars from other clubs.

On Dec. 14, the Dinos signed former Doosan Bears outfielder Park Kun-woo to a six-year, 10 billion won deal. Rumors leading up to that point had it that the Dinos and Na remained far apart at the table, and the arrival of Park signaled Na's imminent departure. NC's general manager Lim Sun-nam acknowledged that the team had signed Park as a possible replacement for Na.

Park was drafted 10th overall by the Bears in 2008. He has been a part of the Bears' record run of seven consecutive Korean Series appearances, during which they grabbed three titles. Though he has a checkered postseason track record as a career .185 hitter in the Korean Series, Park was still one of the most popular Bears over the years.

On Christmas Eve, the Dinos signed outfielder Son Ah-seop to a four-year, 6.4 billion won contract, bringing in a 33-year-old All-Star who has been with the Lotte Giants since 2007.

A native of Busan, the home city of the Giants located about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Son said leaving his hometown was the toughest decision of his life. But it was also hard to resist chances of contending for a title.

"I am thrilled to be joining NC. I was sold on this team's vision of trying to win a championship every season," said Son, who has never been to the Korean Series. "It breaks my heart to leave the Giants, but I am confident I can tackle a new challenge."

Park and Son aren't close to being the power hitter that Na has been. This year, Park had just six homers in 126 games and Son went deep three times in 139 games.

But Park batted .325 to finish fifth in the batting race. Son hit .319, good for seventh in the league. On the all-time list for hitters with at least 3,000 plate appearances, Park is third with a lifetime .326 average and Son is fourth at .324. Son is also the active leader and ninth overall with 2,077 hits.

The Dinos can get power from elsewhere in the lineup, and they just need Park and Son to keep pounding out hits at similar rates.

From fans' perspective, there is something romantic about rooting for players staying with the same club for the entire careers. But loyalty doesn't necessarily bring championships and it certainly doesn't fatten bank accounts.

And it is difficult to begrudge these former franchise icons their decisions to leave for other teams. They are all 30-something veterans, and this year was likely their last opportunity to sign lucrative multiyear deals. As professional athletes, going for a larger contract, with all things being equal, has rarely been a bad move. In cases of Park Byung-ho and Son, it was the lure of both the money and championship contention that did the trick.

Elsewhere in free agency this month, two former league MVPs returned to their original teams. The bespectacled left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong, the 2017 MVP, rejoined the Kia Tigers on Christmas Eve on a four-year, 10.3 billion won contract. He'd pitched for them from 2007 to 2020, and then spent 2021 with the Texas Rangers. After a mostly disappointing stint split between the majors and the minors, Yang is back in his old stomping ground.

The Bears lost Park Kun-woo but retained another free agent outfielder, the 2018 MVP Kim Jae-hwan, on a four-year, 11.5 billion won deal. He has been with the Bears since 2008.

But these two deals have been exceptions, not the norm. This has been a winter of discontent for fans who've lost the most identifiable stars on their favorite teams, but their losses have been gains for other fan bases.

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