The Hanwha Eagles signed coveted free agent slugger Kang Baek-ho to a multiyear deal on Thursday, making an enormous splash in a comparatively skinny market.
The Eagles mentioned Kang, 26, agreed to a four-year contract value as much as 10 billion received ($6.8 million). Kang obtained a signing bonus of 5 billion received and his complete wage over the period of his contract will likely be 3 billion received. He could make one other 2 billion received in incentives.
Kang, who throws proper and bats left, has spent his complete eight-year profession within the Korea Baseball Group (KBO) up so far with the KT Wiz, who made him the primary total decide on the 2017 draft.
Kang lived as much as his hype by profitable the Rookie of the Yr award in 2018, when he smacked 29 dwelling runs and drove in 84 runs.
He has been an honest supply of energy since then, although he has not but matched that dwelling run complete from his rookie marketing campaign. Kang earned Golden Glove awards at first base in 2020 and 2021 as the most effective total participant at his place, after beginning his KBO profession as a nook outfielder.
Thought-about a defensive legal responsibility each within the outfield and at first base, the previous highschool catcher started spending extra time behind the plate in 2024. He caught 169 2/3 innings final 12 months and 32 2/3 extra this 12 months.
The injury-prone participant missed greater than half of the 144-game season in 2022 and 2023. He appeared in all 144 video games final 12 months and put up 26 dwelling runs with 96 RBIs, however was restricted to 95 video games this 12 months whereas seeing his manufacturing dip to fifteen homers and 61 RBIs.
Regardless of the off 12 months in 2025, Kang was nonetheless thought-about the most effective of the crop on this 12 months’s free company, given his younger age and his utility as a flexible defender.
Kang had designs on taking his expertise to Main League Baseball (MLB). He had even scheduled a showcase for MLB scouts in the USA however canceled it in order that he might signal with the Eagles.
The Eagles, the Korean Collection runners-up final month, cleared some cap area this week by letting go of two unproductive and costly veterans, infielder An Chi-hong (500 million received in wage this 12 months) and pitcher Lee Tae-yang (270 million received).
The Eagles mentioned they wished to strengthen their offense through the offseason and Kang will likely be a brand new menace within the coronary heart of the lineup alongside their right-handed slugger Roh Si-hwan, who hit a career-high 32 homers this 12 months.
Kang thanked the Eagles for recognizing his worth and for permitting him to proceed his profession “in a superb setting.”
“Now that I’m becoming a member of a group coming off a superb season, I’ll be part of forces with my new teammates and assist the Eagles change into a good higher group,” Kang mentioned.
Kang, who made 700 million received with the Wiz this 12 months, fell into Class A amongst free brokers as a result of he ranked within the high three in wage on the Wiz and high 30 within the league.
By signing Kang, the Eagles should pay the Wiz twice the quantity of his earlier wage and ship a participant not on its protected listing in compensation, or pay the Wiz thrice the quantity of Kang’s earlier wage.
