KIA Tigers continues to take quiet steps in the 2025 FA market. While internal FA pitcher Jang Hyun-sik has already been taken away, Kang Hyo-jong, a pitcher who falls under the “future,” not the present, has been named as a compensation player. Amid a firm message that he will refrain from overpaying, attention is focusing on whether he will offer non-FA multi-year contracts for outfielder Choi Won-joon and infielder Park Chan-ho, who are prospective FA in 2026.
There were a total of three free agents at Kia this winter. Pitchers Jang Hyun-sik and Lim Ki-young, as well as infielder Seo Geon-chang, applied for free agent status. 온라인바카라
Kia focused first on remaining Jang Hyun-sik, a resource for fastball bullpen. Jang pitched in 75 games (75.1 innings) in the 2024 season, and played the role of a key bullpen pitcher with five wins, four losses and 16 holds, 3.94 ERA, 75 strikeouts, 34 walks, and WHIP 1.45.
After competition among multiple teams, including Kia, Jang was held in the arms of LG. He could not overcome the four-year guarantee contract worth 5.2 billion won (1.6 billion won (1.5 million U.S. dollars in down payment and 3.6 billion won in annual salary) that LG paid. The terms offered by Kia did not differ significantly in terms of total amount, but there were options.
If the club wanted to catch Jang, Kia might have considered raising the offer more aggressively. However, Kia did not get dragged around by the FA market and stuck to its internally set contract amount.
“Since there is an amount set by evaluating the FA market atmosphere and player value internally, we will try to keep those conditions as much as possible without overpaying,” a Kia official said. “The proportion of options can be changed depending on the negotiation situation.”
Now, Kia should continue negotiations with its remaining internal FA resources, such as pitcher Lim Ki-young and infielder Seo Geon-chang. Of course, Kia does not seem to have established a negotiating table in an aggressive manner. For one, Kia aims to keep an eye on the FA market situation. “I don’t think our team needs to hurry. We are going out to find out the market value, so we will move while watching the situation,” a Kia official said.
Of course, even if there is no big spending in the FA market, KIA is expected to make another all-out effort to catch preliminary FA within 2026. This is why outfielder Choi Won-joon and infielder Park Chan-ho will become FA after the end of the 2025 season.
Choi appeared in 136 games this season and posted a batting average of 0.292, 128 hits, nine homers and 56 RBIs. Choi was also selected for the Korean national team for the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12 tournament. Park Chan-ho also played in 134 games this season with a batting average of 0.307, 158 hits, five homers and 61 RBIs.
Both players are key players both inside and outside the team. As a middle generation of fielders, the team has been given a role as a link. Kia cannot afford to miss these players, and as time goes by, its worries will grow deeper.
In addition, center field and shortstop are positions that many other teams may be interested in. After all, the key is whether two players can be caught through a non-FA multi-year contract before entering the FA market. The price of the FA market has been formed to some extent. The amount is expected to far exceed 5 billion won for four years for shortstop Shim Woo-joon, who recently moved to the Hanwha Eagles.
KIA had a memory of preempting catcher Kim Tae-gun by signing a three-year, non-FA multi-year contract worth 2.5 billion won (approx. The decision was made due to Kim Tae-gun’s performance that led to victory in the 2024 season. We wonder if Kia will make an attractive non-FA multi-year contract proposal for Choi Won-joon and Park Chan-ho.
