The Samsung Lions announced the contract with FA pitcher Oh Seung-hwan on Wednesday. The two-year contract period includes a down payment of 1 billion won (937 million U.S. dollars) and an annual salary of 400 million won (422 million dollars) and 800 million won (822 million dollars), respectively.
After signing the contract with Oh, Samsung’s general manager Lee Jong-yeol said, “We will mark the peak of this season’s pitching staff. It took some time as we agonized over the best path for our team amid an atmosphere of mutual understanding throughout the negotiation process. I would like to express my gratitude to Oh for understanding and following the team’s moves to form the best team.”
Oh Seung-hwan, a former Gyeonggi High School and Dankook University, joined Samsung in 2005 as the fifth overall pick in the second round of the first round, is a one-club man who spent all 13 seasons in the KBO League only with Samsung until 2023, except for six years overseas (Japan’s Hanshin Tigers, U.S. Major League St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies). 토토사이트 순위
During the 668 games (739 ⅔ innings), he had 41 wins, 24 losses, 400 saves, 17 holds, an ERA of 2.06 with 816 strikeouts, keeping his back door open for the Samsung Lions. He has posted the highest number of saves in the history of six times
He also achieved the league’s 400 saves feat for the first time in the league (2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2021). He also achieved the most 47 saves in a single season in the KBO League twice in 2006 and 2011. Above all, Oh, who marked the last moments of the five combined wins of the Samsung Lions between 2005 and 2006 and 2011-2013, was also awarded the Korea Series MVP twice (2005 and 2011).
He is an inseparable symbol at the center of the Samsung dynasty. There was no doubt that he would remain. Although the FA does not require compensation players, other teams could hardly afford to pay attention to him as Oh Seung-hwan, whose compensation amounts to 2.1 billion won (1.5 million U.S. dollars) due to his annual salary (1.4 billion won) from the previous year. The Samsung Lions also needed Oh Seung-hwan, who was too weak even though his bullpen was weak. Both sides reached a consensus early on that they would stay in the club, but Samsung could offer only a limited amount of money.
Oh, who returned to Korea in August 2019 after finishing his career in the U.S., signed a contract with an annual salary of 600 million won for the rest of the season. At that time, due to unpaid bills due to suspensions for the rest of the season, his actual income was only half. However, after doubling to 1.2 billion won in 2020, he received 1.1 billion won in 2021, 1.6 billion won in 2022, and 1.4 billion won in 2023. Excluding incentives, he maintained a high annual salary of 1.325 billion won on average for four years, but the FA contract significantly reduced his annual salary.
As a result, it took quite some time to reach an agreement, but Samsung showed respect to Oh by offering a no-option contract worth 2.2 billion won (approx. More and more options are available in the FA market, with 25.6 percent of the total amount of FA contracts filled with options this winter. This is the market with the highest portion of options available in the FA market ever. Clubs have provided safeguard measures by adding various options. However, this deal deserves significance in that Oh is the only free agent contract that has no other option. This can be seen as an absolute trust in Oh.
In addition, it is also meaningful that it is the seventh FA contract for a player in his 40s. In 2006, Hanwha pitcher Song Jin-woo signed a two-year contract worth 1.4 billion won at the age of 40, and in 2014, LG outfielder Lee Byung-kyu won a three-year contract worth 2.55 billion won at the age of 40. In 2016, Hanwha catcher Cho In-sung recorded the oldest FA contract at the age of 41 with a two-year contract worth 1 billion won.
In the same year, Samsung infielder Lee Seung-yeop received the highest treatment ever for a player in his 40s at the age of 40 with two years and 3.6 billion won. In 2018, Hanwha pitcher Park Jung-jin signed a two-year, 750 million won contract at the age of 42, changing the record for the oldest FA player. In 2019, 40-year-old LG outfielder Park Yong-taek signed a two-year, 2.5 billion won FA contract.
Oh has become the first FA contractor in his 40s in five years. This is the second FA contract for a 42-year-old player, narrowly missing the record for the oldest one. Based on the time of FA contract, Park Jung-jin was 41 years old, July 17, and Oh Seung-hwan was 41 years, 6 months and 16 days, a difference of about a month. Of course, the terms of his contract are almost three times bigger than Oh. This is the highest ever treatment for a 42-year-old FA.
All six of the FA contractors in their 40s were the last ones in their careers. Except for Song Jin-woo, who spent two more years as a regular player after his FA contract was terminated, five of them retired upon completion of his FA contract. The next two years are likely to be the last for Oh, but he has yet to decide on his final destination. It is questionable whether the FA contract will be the last of Oh’s career or whether he will sign another contract two years later.