A foreign player in a professional baseball league cannot become a “freedom body” even if the renewal negotiations fail. This is because the current KBO league allows the original team to hold the right to hold the contract. The problem is the period of the right to hold the contract. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) stipulates that if a former team offers to renew the contract, the relevant player cannot join another team in Korea for five years. There is a condition that an exception is made when the former team agrees, but it is not easy. It is also the reason why David Buchanan, a foreign pitcher whose contract with the Samsung Lions failed to hold a contract with another team in Korea after the last season, cannot negotiate with other teams in Korea.
The right to withhold provides leverage to strengthen the team’s bargaining power when discussing renewal of contract with foreign players. If the right to withhold is tied, it is not easy to transfer, so players who want to play in the KBO League can be forced to join the original team. The longer the right to withhold, the more powerful it can be. However, some on-site officials say that it is too long. “Five years of withholding rights is really a slave contract,” said a foreign scout from A team who is in charge of on-site practical affairs. “If five-year withholding rights is recognized, it is effectively a life-long contract,” said a foreign scout from B team.
The KBO regulations on the employment of foreign players stipulate that “re-contract proposal” is procedural justification for the original team to have the right to hold on hold. However, it is more of an abstract meaning. As there is no guideline on the amount of money (minimum amount, etc.) related to the contract renewal terms, the original team will have the right to hold on hold even if negotiations break out due to the proposal of an absurd amount. As long as the team does not listen carefully to foreign players, the coach said, “I will put them in the second tier and not use them. I will tie up the right to hold on hold by offering 200,000 U.S. dollars, which is much lower than the previous salary, and ban them from playing in Korea.” This is why Han’s bluffing is not an empty promise. 스포츠토토
The foreign player market constantly complains that “there is a lack of sales” every year. There are few foreign players who challenge the Asian league, and most of the A-level resources are prioritized by Japan, not South Korea. Against this backdrop, some point out that the suspension period should be adjusted to create a structure in which players can rotate even internally. In fact, not a few foreign players, including Andrew Suarez (former LG Twins), cannot transfer to Korea due to the suspension right issue. In 2020, Carlos Peguero did not release the suspension right at LG, which led to the collapse of his trip to Kiwoom.
A baseball official said, “There were times when we shortened the period of the right to withhold rights in the past, but we increased it again for various reasons. We need to discuss it again. The current five-year right to withhold rights is an evil law.” “It does not make sense to completely eliminate the right to withhold rights. However, it seems necessary to discuss ways to reduce it to two to three years,” said a foreign scout from the club.
