"I have no intention of overpaying." Jang Hyun-sik left and Lim Ki-young left. Seo Geon-chang's situation is

"I have no intention of overpaying." Jang Hyun-sik left and Lim Ki-young left. Seo Geon-chang's situation is

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It is expected that more time will be needed before veteran infielder Seo Geon-chang (35)'s future is decided.

KIA Tigers signed a three-year maximum of 1.5 billion won (down payment of 300 million won, total annual salary of 900 million won, option 300 million won) with free agent pitcher Lim Ki-young on the 21st. At KIA, where three players in the team exercised their FA rights this winter, pitcher Jang Hyun-sik transferred to the LG Twins, but he took a breather due to Lim Ki-young's stay. Now the attention is on the team's only fielder, Seo Geon-chang.

Negotiations between Seo and Kun-chang, who entered the FA market after four moves, are in a protracted phase. Barriers to transfer are not high. As the FA grade (A through C) is C, teams that recruit him only have to compensate 150 percent of their annual salary (50 million won) for the 2024 season. However, due to the combination of his considerable age in his mid-30s and limited use of defense, he has little external interest. Retention is realistic, but he has to solve even this complicated problem. His characteristics as a position with relatively abundant substitute resources (first baseman and second baseman) are disadvantageous to players. KIA has emphasized reasonable investment ever since the opening of the FA market. This stance has also been applied to Lim Ki-young's contract.

There is a possibility that Seo's FA negotiation will be over the next year. "Seo is currently on his honeymoon (married on December 14)," Kia Tigers' general manager Shim Jae-hak told the Dong-A Ilbo after Lim Ki-young's contract was announced. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and I thought I shouldn't talk about it (at this time) with money. I told my agent that we should come back after our honeymoon." Seo plans to arrive in Korea after Christmas. Finding an agreement within this year seems not easy due to schedule.

"I'm trying to catch (the player). But I don't intend to overpay under the current situation," said Shim Jae-hak. "The salary cap could explode." Kia's total salary for the top 40 players in the 2024 season, which was announced on the 18th, was 11.249 billion won, close to the salary cap (competitive equal tax) of 177.38 million won. The salary cap for next season will be raised from the current 11.426.38 billion won to 13.711.65 billion won, a 20% increase, which is inevitable due to the team's overall winning. Spending an unexpected amount in the FA market will lead to an excess of salary cap. 먹튀검증

This will inevitably affect Seo Geon-chang's FA contract. If the player cannot accept the situation, negotiations are inevitable for a long time.