The 2023-2024 KBO League FA market has come to an end. All 19 qualified players decided their destinations before starting the spring camp in February. Now, naturally, attention is paid to the 2024-2025 FA market. The 2024-2025 FA market is the pitcher market.
It is just a presumption. At this point, it is impossible to accurately predict who will be on the FA market this winter. There may be players who do not qualify for the FA depending on their performance this season. There may be players who do not apply even if they are eligible for the FA. A club may sign a multi-year contract before the end of this season.
Considering these variables to some extent, major players such as Choi Won-tae, Um Sang-baek, Lim Ki-young, Jang Hyun-sik, Kim Won-joong, Koo Seung-min, and Seo Jin-yong can be expected. They can range from starting pitchers, middle pitchers to closing pitchers. It is natural that the price of players in the FA market will vary depending on their performance in this season.
Pitchers have traditionally not been treated well in the FA market. This is because the logic that the risk of injury increases after FA contracts has become a reality to some extent because many balls have already been thrown before qualifying as an FA. Rather, it became more popular in the non-FA multi-year contract market, where the club can thoroughly grasp the condition of the body and calculate the future value accordingly.
When supply is high, prices naturally fall, but there is no guarantee that they will exactly match in the FA market. The phenomenon of rich-get-richer-get-richer-get-richer-get-richer will have an advantage. In this regard, attention is being paid to the calculation of the value of Choi Won-tae, who will turn 28 in 2025, and Eom Sang-baek, who will turn 29 in 2025. The two were young pitchers who were not in grade S, but steadily built their starting careers.
Yang Hyun-jong (KIA Tigers) owned the largest contract for an FA pitcher in the 2021-2022 market. At that time, he signed a four-year, 10.3 billion won contract. No. 2 is Cha Woo-chan, who signed a four-year, 9.5 billion won contract in the 2016-2017 market. Will there be a pitcher who can break Yang’s stronghold in the FA market this winter.
For reference, including non-FA multi-year contracts, Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG Landers) is the largest ever contractor for pitchers. He signed a four-year, 15.1 billion won contract in March 2022. Koo Chang-mo (Sangmu), who signed a 6+1 year contract of 13.2 billion won with the NC Dinos in December 2022, ranks second, and Ko Young-pyo, who recently signed a five-year, 10.7 billion won contract with KT Wiz, ranks third. A total of four pitchers have signed contracts worth 10 billion won, including FA and non-FA.
BY: 사설토토