*This content was translated by AI.
"(Jang) Sungwoo, you did a great job."
It was Kang Min-ho (41, Samsung Lions) who called Jang Sung-woo (36, KT Wiz), who had completed a long FA negotiation right before leaving the spring camp.
Jang Sung-woo met with reporters at Incheon International Airport ahead of his departure for KT's spring camp in Geelong, Australia, on the 21st, and said, "I was going to go to the spring camp with my colleagues from the beginning. I thought it didn't make sense not to go with him," he said honestly.
I almost couldn't leave for Australia with KT's main university. This is because he declared his second FA after the end of last season and negotiations with KT, his original team, have been prolonged. However, the previous day (20th) dramatically signed an FA contract with KT of up to 1.6 billion won (800 million won in down payment, 600 million won in annual salary, 200 million won in incentives) for two years. He has been accompanied by KT for 12 years since joining KT through a trade in 2015.
Jang Sung-woo said, "I've been on this team for so long. "I was an FA, but I also did off-season workouts at the ballpark, and I didn't feel much different because I met players and staff every day," he said with a smile. "The negotiations took a long time, but it's not because we didn't meet much, not because we had a lot of concerns, but because we didn't recruit outside players. The coach and the club kept telling us to be together next year, so there was nothing difficult about the decision," he added.
Last year, Jang Sung-woo had a batting average of 0.247 (102 hits in 413 at-bats) in 129 regular-season games, 14 homers, 58 RBIs and 44 points, and OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.713. Still, there is a view that the size of the contract is unexpected because he has been a homebody who believes in and relies on the defense power of pitchers and hits with double-digit home runs for six consecutive years.
One of them was senior Kang Min-ho. The two, who played together with Lotte Giants in the past, moved to KT and Samsung, respectively, and enjoyed their heyday. Jang Sung-woo said, "(Kang) Min-ho has been together since he was young, and we talked a lot during this contract because we were so close. Minho met with Samsung actively, but after signing a contract, he called me. "Since you signed a contract like this, Seong Wu (Jang) will receive more than me." I said there will be good news,' he said in the back story.
Kang Min-ho, who became a free body together this winter, succeeded in signing his fourth FA contract for the first time in the KBO league with a total of 2 billion won (1 billion won down payment, 300 million won in annual salary, 200 million won in annual incentives) with Samsung last month. Considering the age and contract period, Kang Min-ho, who mentioned it first, can feel awkward. However, like Kang Min-ho, he solved the situation pleasantly with sincere jokes.
Jang Sung-woo said, "I signed a contract yesterday (20th) and got a video call from (Kang) Min-ho from Guam. "What happened, I thought you'd get more than me," he said with a smile. He, too, now has a captain's composure that encompasses both pitchers and fielders. Jang Sung-woo joked to (Kang) Min-ho, "I think I'll quit after coming in when you're there and not beating him once until the baseball career is over." That's why he said he worked hard," he said, thanking me.
Jang Sung-woo, who is leaving for Australia with ease, included KT, which has entered the fall baseball again. Jang Sung-woo said, "At the end of last season, the players talked to each other. There is nothing more difficult than watching other people's fall baseball on TV at home. I didn't really watch it. "We've always been out, but this time it's bad, so the players must have felt something," he recalled.
"The team had a bad season last year, but personally, it was the worst in recent years. Regardless of whether you claim or not, I will do my best to help the team go back to autumn baseball and win the championship. I think veterans have a lot of influence on team performance. If the team's performance is good, the value of a veteran can go up even if his personal performance is bad. This year, I will change my mind in a way that can help the team's performance with a new mind and renew my determination.
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*This content was translated by AI.
