Yang Seok-hwan will remain with the Doosan Bears.
The Doosan Bears announced on Tuesday that they have signed infielder Yang Seok-hwan to a free agent (FA) contract for 4+2 years and up to 7.8 billion won. The total amount of the first four years of the contract is up to 6.5 billion won (2 billion won in signing bonus, 3.9 billion won in total annual salary, and 600 million won in incentives). The contract includes a two-year, 1.3 billion won mutual option that will be triggered at the end of the four-year contract upon mutual agreement of the club and player,” said the official announcement.
This is the highest amount in the free agency market. Infielder Ahn Chi-hong, who moved from the Lotte Giants to the Hanwha Eagles on April 20, signed a 4+2-year deal worth up to 7.2 billion won (4.7 billion won guaranteed and 800 million won in incentives for four years, 1.3 billion won guaranteed and 400 million won in incentives for a two-year extension).
It only took two meetings to put the stamp on it. There was good chemistry from the first meeting.
Doosan, 먹튀검증 which had two internal free agents in Yang Suk-hwan and Hong Gun-hee, was wary of overpaying.
Salary cap was an issue.
Doosan has been signing big free agents in recent years, including Heo Kyung-min, Jeong Soo-bin, Kim Jae-hwan, and Yang Yang-ji. The salary cap was tight and they needed to sign two free agents.
Doosan set a threshold amount and confirmed that Yang’s price was not too high.
In the second meeting, a deal was struck. Negotiations continued into the evening hours of the 29th, with both sides accepting each other’s opinions and eventually reaching an agreement. Yang made a name for himself as the highest-paid free agent this season, and Doosan can look forward to his continued performance with the safety of a ‘mutual option’.
Yang turned his life around at Doosan. After graduating from Shinil High and Dongguk University, Yang joined the LG Twins in the third round of the 2014 rookie draft (28th overall) and was traded to Doosan in March 2021.
At the time, Doosan had a void at first base after Oh Jae-il joined Samsung as a free agent.
LG, which lacked a left-handed pitcher, offered Yang Seok-hwan for sale, making it a two-for-two trade with the addition of a prospect.
Yang, who was highly touted as a big-league prospect at LG but never got the chance to play, found a perfect fit at Doosan.
In his first year with the club, Yang played in 133 games and quickly became the starting first baseman, batting .277 with 28 home runs and an OPS of .827, leading the team in home runs.
The following year was an injury-plagued one. He was limited to 107 games and his batting average dropped to 2.244, but he still showed off his power, hitting 20 home runs and establishing himself as a center fielder.
This season, he resurfaced as a pending free agent. He played in 140 games this season, batting .281 with 21 home runs. This is the fifth-best home run total in the league behind Noh Si-hwan (31), Choi Jung (29), Austin (LG), and Chae Eun-sung (23).
The power was still there, as he played in 140 games this season, batting 2-for-8 with 21 home runs to finish fifth in the league in home runs.
His leadership also shined through.
Earlier this season, he performed a heart ceremony as a fan service, which led to a donation project for the club. The entire Doosan team participated in the gesture, and it became a part of Doosan’s culture.
Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop also has something to smile about. After the season, Lee emphasized the need for free agents. “Yang Seok-hwan is a hitter who can hit 20 home runs, and Hong Gun-hee has 20 saves. It’s not easy to find players like that,” he said. “Both Yang and Hong are trusted by their juniors and teammates. We need both of them.”
So far, Doosan has yet to find a Korean first baseman to replace Yang. The team has made preparations for Yang’s departure, with outfielder Hong Seong-ho, the Futures’ three-time batting champion (batting average, home runs, and RBIs), preparing to play first base, but he remains a “waiting game.
The team was also planning to consider whether to sign foreign player Jose Rojas after Yang’s departure.
Rojas batted .253 with 19 home runs in 122 games this season. After batting just 2-for-2 with 10 homers in 65 games in the first half, he came alive in the second half, batting 2-for-8 with nine homers in 57 games. He even went 2-for-2 with a home run in the wild-card game against the NC Dinos.
While he showed signs of improvement as he adjusted to the KBO, his defense left something to be desired. He can play the corner outfield and first base, but he’s not completely reliable.
With Yang’s retention, Doosan will be able to broaden its outfield options a bit more.
“Yang has been an integral part of our batting lineup, hitting 20 home runs for three consecutive years while calling Jamsil Stadium home,” said a Doosan team official. “We are looking forward to his role as a leader in the dugout as well as on the field.”
“Joining the Doosan Bears via trade is the beginning of a new chapter in my baseball career. I’ve wanted to stay with the team since I became a free agent, and I’m grateful to owner Park Jung-won for signing me on such good terms,” said Yang. “I think signing a free agent contract is the beginning, 토토사이트 not the end. As a responsible center fielder and a good senior, I will take the lead in continuing the Doosan Bears’ unique culture.”