Franchise star. A franchise star is an athlete who has played for a team for a long time, is loved by fans, and has made many contributions. Derek Jeter, for example, is the iconic face of the New York Yankees and a hero to their fans. The treatment of franchise stars by SSG and Lotte, who are often referred to as “distribution rivals,” was in contrast.
Kim Kang-min, who joined SK in 2001 after graduating from Kyungpook High School and was a one-club man for 23 years, was removed from SSG’s list of protected players for the KBO Secondary Draft. SSG released him without any indication of retirement plans or discussions with the players, and Hanwha picked him up at the last minute. In a belated effort, SSG tried to convince Kim to retire by offering him a retirement ceremony and coaching training. Hanwha deliberately did not contact him immediately after the nomination. This was done to give Kim, who was in shock, time to think and organize.
In the end, Kim chose to extend his service rather than retire. It wasn’t an easy decision to give up on the 23-year One Clubman, but he decided to burn his last flame for the team that recognized his value. Kim will turn 42 next year, making him the oldest player in the league, 온라인카지노 but he hasn’t lost his competitive edge and has plenty of confidence in his abilities.
Kim posted a short message through the Hanwha organization titled “Dear Fans”.
“I was very happy playing baseball as a one-club man for 23 years. I’m sorry that I feel like I’m leaving in debt. I will keep the unconditional love and precious memories you have sent me and try to make a comeback with a new team. Thank you so much for everything,” he wrote.
Fans are angry at the club’s complacency in handling the loss of their franchise star. Some fans placed more than 50 wreaths of condolences near Incheon SSG Landers Field on Monday. The wreaths were filled with phrases such as “Kim Kang-min, whom we loved,” “Incheon baseball is dead,” “What have you done to Incheon baseball?” and “The dynasty is in ruins.” They criticized the club’s behavior.
Lotte, on the other hand, has treated Jeon Jun-woo, who has been a Giants man since 2008, well. After signing a four-year, 3.4 billion won contract amid harsh market conditions and undervaluation when he first became a free agent, Jeon was rewarded for his performance over the past four years. The terms of the contract are up to 4.7 billion won over four years. Of this, 4 billion won is guaranteed and 700 million won in incentives. If he reaches the incentive in 2027, he will donate 100 million won to the club to be used for the construction of a new stadium. The club plans to support overseas coach training for two years after a player’s retirement, providing opportunities for junior development and opening the way to leadership.
Jeon, who graduated from Gyeongju National University and Konkuk University and began his professional career with Lotte in 2008
Has played 1616 games in the first team, batting .325 (6039-for-1812) with 196 home runs, 888 RBIs, 996 runs scored and 133 stolen bases. In 138 games this season, he batted .301 (493-for-154) with 17 home runs, 77 RBIs, 80 runs scored and nine stolen bases. Jun-woo has never gotten into trouble since his professional debut and is a player that everyone on the team appreciates. He has a great reputation both on and off the field.
After signing, Jun-woo said, “I would like to say a big thank you to the Lotte fans who have shown me a lot of interest and enthusiastic support since joining Lotte and to owner Shin Dong-bin for recognizing my performance over the past four years and my future value in my second free agency. As a Lotte franchise player, I will live up to the expectations of the fans with good performance as I signed for a satisfactory amount.”
“Jun-woo Jeon has excelled every year with his professional self-management and selfless attitude of putting the team first, and he has dedicated himself to the club until now,” said Park Jun-hyuk. “As a veteran of the team, we hope to build our team’s culture together in the future. As a veteran of the team, I would like to build our team’s culture together in the future.” Not only is Lotte recognizing the value of franchise star Jeon, but they’re also getting an early look at the future manager of the team.
Samsung is in talks with franchise star Oh Seung-hwan, who is also a free agent.
However, there has been no news of a deal so far. A sign of the temperature difference. Seung-hwan Oh, the first KBO pitcher to record 400 career saves, is the organization’s No. 0 candidate for a permanent job. In addition to his individual accomplishments, he was instrumental in winning five Korean Series titles in 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, and 2013. If Oh doesn’t get the honor, it’s safe to assume that no Samsung pitcher will be eligible in the future.
The team shouldn’t make the mistake of letting franchise stars Park Hae-min (LG) and Kim Sang-soo (KT) leave for other organizations. Apart from signing Kim Jae-yoon (4 years, maximum total of 5.8 billion won), they should give Oh Seung-hwan the treatment he deserves as a franchise star.