The C-grade polarization is intensifying in the professional baseball FA market. Some players have signed a jackpot contract with a C-grade premium that does not have a shackle on compensation players, while others have a cold wind. 토토사이트

Choi Jeong (38), the third baseman of the SSG, made the highest contract in the FA market this winter. On June 6, the first day of the FA's opening, he signed a four-year contract with SSG for a total of 11 billion won (approx. It hit the jackpot with a down payment of 3 billion won and an annual salary of 8 billion won. 

Since the introduction of the FA compensation system in the KBO League in 2021, it was the highest-ever contract for a C-grade player. The previous highest C-grade contract was KRW 3.6 billion for Samsung catcher Kang Min-ho in 2022, but Choi Jung easily exceeded this and was treated overshadowed by the age of 38. 

Choi was able to sign the "biggest fish" contract because he was in Grade C. Unlike Class A (20 protected players) and Class B (25 protected players), Class C requires only 150 percent of the previous year's salary to be compensated without compensation players. 

FA grade in the KBO League is classified based on salary and age. Except for FA contractors, players who have ranked 11th or lower in the annual salary ranking within the club over the past three years, or 61st or lower in the overall salary ranking, or those who have become new FA players aged 35 or older, will become C grade. For re-qualified players, players who received C grade in the last FA and those who are qualified for the third FA will become C grade. 

Choi Jeong became the third FA to become C-rated. He is an veteran player who will turn 39 next year, but he has consistently displayed competitive edge by displaying the best batting productivity in the league. This year, he also posted a batting average of 291 percent (136 hits in 468 times at bat) in 129 games, 37 homers, 107 RBIs and OPS.978, ranking third in homers and fifth in OPS, and saw his market value soar as a C-rated FA. SSG, an original team that was on fire, kept Choi Jeong by announcing the agreement before the opening of the FA. The 11 billion won contract of the C-rated FA is not easy to break. 

As another C-grade FA with Choi Jung, pitcher Kim Kang-ryul left Doosan for LG on the condition of 1.4 billion won (down payment of 500 million won, total annual salary of 900 million won) for 3+1 years, and saw a C-grade effect. KT pitcher Woo Kyu-min remained on the original team with 700 million won for two years (down payment of 200 million won, total annual salary of 400 million won, option 100 million won), NC pitcher Lim Jung-ho with 1.2 billion won for three years (down payment of 300 million won, total annual salary of 600 million won, option of 200 million won), and Samsung outfielder Kim Hun-gon easily stayed on the original team with 600 million won for two years (down payment of 200 million won, total annual salary of 200 million won, option 200 million won). 

However, other C-grade free agents are facing cold wind without informing them of their contracts until the end of this year. Infielder Seo Geon-chang (35), pitcher Moon Seong-hyeon (33), and outfielder Kim Seong-wook (31) remain in the FA market as uncontracted agents along with B-grade pitcher Lee Yong-chan (35) and infielder Ha Joo-seok (30). Lee Yong-chan and Ha Joo-seok are held back by the shackles of compensation players as B-grade players, but C-grade players have no excuse. This is a cold reality. 

Seo Kun-chang, who won the MVP title by setting the first 200 hits (201) in the KBO League when he was with the Nexen Heroes (currently with the Kiwoom Heroes), exercised his status as an FA after four moves, but the market reaction is cold. After moving to Kia this year, he successfully rebounded by hitting .820 with a batting average of .310 (63 hits in 203 at-bats) in 94 games, but his performance was not achieved as a regular starter, and his performance is not very useful in defense. He started defense at first base for the first time this year, but exposed his anxiety about catching at an unfamiliar place. 

The recruitment of Patrick Wisdom, a new foreign hitter with extensive experience as a first baseman, is also a negative factor for Seo. Unless the price is significantly lowered, it will be hard for Seo to be attracted to other teams. He overcame his pain by winning his first title at Kia, his hometown team, but faced a cold reality in a year. 

Outfielder Kim Sung-wook, who hit 78 home runs in 10 seasons including his career-high 17 home runs this year, is also in a bad situation. It is regrettable that his batting productivity is lower than the number of home runs with a batting average of 240 li (73 hits in 358 times at bat) and OPS.671 this year. I thought that Hanwha, which has weak center field, might show interest, but its possibility disappeared by recruiting center fielder Esteban Floral as a new foreign hitter. He is most likely to stay at NC, but favorable conditions have become difficult. 

Moon is a veteran of 280 games (78 starts, 606 ⅔ innings) in 12 seasons with 25 wins, 37 losses, 16 saves and 18 holds with an ERA of 5.00 strikeouts, but has shown little response from the market. Although Moon has extensive experience in various positions, he has performed poorly in 42 games (38 ⅓ innings) with one win, two losses and two saves with an ERA of 6.57 strikeouts. He applied for free agency unexpectedly, but failed to set up a proper negotiation table with Kiwoom, his original team. 

A C-grade without the shackles of compensation players does not necessarily mean that there is demand from other teams. Eight of the 26 C-grade players have transferred over the past five years, excluding the current uncontracted players, but 17 have remained with the original team. Eleven of them signed contracts worth less than 1 billion won. In 2023, pitcher Kang Ri-ho took off his uniform without signing a contract with any team, including the original Lotte team.