Tiger Corps in danger of exceeding the annual salary cap... Will Won-jun Choi be able to keep the 'biggest fish of outfield' next year
Tiger Corps in danger of exceeding the annual salary cap... Will Won-jun Choi be able to keep the 'biggest fish of outfield' next year
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Will the KIA Tigers, who are on the verge of exceeding the salary cap, be able to keep Choi Won-joon, the biggest outfielder in the stove league next year.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced on the 18th the total amount of the top 40 annual salary for each of the 10 teams in 2024.토토사이트
The team that drew the most attention was the LG Twins. LG's top 40 players received a combined salary of W13.85 billion, exceeding the competitive equal tax cap of W2.429.78 billion. This is the first time in KBO league history since the introduction of the salary cap. LG will pay W1.214.89 billion, or 50 percent of that amount, to the Baseball Development Fund.
Though hidden by LG, KIA's total sum was also high. With W11.249 billion, KIA was W177.38 million less than the competition equal tax cap. KIA's total sum was the second highest among the 10 clubs.
This is a source of concern for Kia, which has several key players who will become free agents after the end of the 2025 season. Chances are high that Park Chan-ho and Choi Won-joon will appear in the FA market in the 2025 season Stove League. Park Chan-ho is a top shortstop who received the Golden Glove in shortstop category at the 2024 KBO Golden Glove. Choi is a key outfielder who boasts strong offense power.
Among them, Kia should definitely catch Choi Won-joon. While the team has relatively abundant infielders to replace Park Chan-ho, it lacks outfield resources. Lee Chang-jin and Kim Ho-ryeong are weaker hitters than Choi Won-joon. As Choi is in his 40s, he should be classified as a designated hitter.
Choi Won-joon was the third overall pick in the second round of the first round at the 2016 rookie draft. After playing as an infielder in high school, he moved to the outfield after his debut as a pro, and displayed stellar performance with a batting average of 0.326 with two home runs, 35 RBIs and an OPS of 0.808 in 123 games in the 2020 season. In the 2021 season, he supported Kia's batting average of 0.295 with four home runs, 44 RBIs and an OPS of 0.742, in 143 games.
Choi, who joined the Sangmu Baseball Organization in December 2021, suffered ups and downs after being discharged from the military in 2022, but revived this year. Choi showed signs of rebounding this season with a batting average of 0.292 with nine homers and 56 RBIs in 136 games, and an OPS of 0.791. With Kia winning the combined championship, Choi won his second career championship ring following the 2017 season.
Choi Won-joon, who has been recognized for his talent enough to be selected for the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12, is considered one of the biggest outfielders. Choi is a necessary resource for Kia, but the fact that it is set to exceed the salary cap may make it hesitate to invest. In fact, Kia lost its must-win group Jang Hyun-sik to the ground of the match against LG in the Stove League. Attention is focusing on whether Kia will be able to keep Choi next year.