*This content was translated by AI.
KIA Tigers completed a full-fledged recruitment of pitchers at the end of the free agent (FA) market, with only a few days left before leaving the spring camp. Following Kim Bum-soo, an FA bullpen resource, Hong Gun-hee, who also played as a bullpen pitcher, succeeded in reinforcing bullpen resources. Will KIA leap forward again as a favorite for the 2026 season.
KIA said on the 21st, "We have started to strengthen our bullpen power by recruiting pitchers Kim Bum-soo and Hong Gun-hee."
First, KIA officially announced on the same day, "I signed an FA contract with Kim Bum-soo for a total of 2 billion won, including 500 million won in down payment, 1.2 billion won in annual salary, and 300 million won in incentives for three years."
Kim Bum-soo, who joined the Hanwha Eagles as the first designated player in 2015, has played in 481 games in 11 seasons until 2025, with 27 wins, 5 saves, 72 holds, 484 strikeouts and an ERA of 5.18.
In particular, he played 73 games last season and contributed greatly to the team's advance to the Korean Series with an outstanding performance of 2 wins, 2 saves, 6 holds, 41 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.25 in 48 innings.
Through the KIA club, Kim Bum-soo said, "I am grateful to the club for making a good offer and I am honored to join a prestigious club. The fans must have high expectations, but I will repay them with better-than-expected results, he said. "I am deeply grateful to Hanwha Eagles fans who have supported me so far since my professional debut."
This wasn't the end. KIA also officially announced, "We signed a one-year contract with pitcher Hong Gun-hee for a total of 700 million won, including an annual salary of 650 million won and incentives of 50 million won."
As a result, Hong Gun-hee, who moved to Doosan through a trade in June 2020, will return to her home after six years.
Hong Gun-hee, who graduated from Hwasun Elementary School, Hwasun Middle School, and Hwasun High School, wore the KIA Tigers uniform as the ninth overall pick in the second round in the 2011 rookie draft. And he transferred to the Doosan Bears through a trade in June 2020. For Hong Gun-hee, the trade became a godsend. After performing well, he even signed an FA contract ahead of the 2023 season. It was stamped on the condition of up to 2.45 billion won (down payment of 300 million won, annual salary of 2.1 billion won, incentive of 50 million won) for 2+2 years.
In the 2024 season, Hong Gun-hee played an active role as a must-win player. In 65 games, he played with 4 wins, 3 losses, 9 saves, 11 holds, and a 2.73 ERA, all-weather. While throwing a total of 59 ⅓ innings, he recorded 55 hits (five home runs), 33 walks, 45 strikeouts, 22 runs (18 earned runs), WHIP (on-base allowance per inning) 1.48 and a batting average of 0.253. Moreover, Hong Gun-hee was even more motivated as a "preliminary FA" to qualify as an FA after the 2025 season. As the oldest member of the pitching team, he steadily prepared for this season with his younger juniors, and joined the team belatedly.
However, his performance did not support him clearly. Hong Geon-hee pitched 16 innings in 20 games last season, posting a record of 2 wins and 15 strikeouts with a 6.19 ERA. In the end, Hong Gun-hee said he would trigger an opt-out to the Doosan club after last year's season. There was a player option after the two-year contract was over, and the condition was to give up the remaining salary and become a free agent when the opt-out was triggered, but Hong Gun-hee made the choice to be evaluated by the mayor.
And this time, he returned to his home team with KIA's proposal. Hong Gun-hee pitched 677 innings in 488 games in 12 KBO league seasons with a 4.92 ERA with 27 wins, 58 saves, 55 holds, and 602 strikeouts.
Hong Gun-hee said through the KIA club, "It feels new to be back as a friendly team. I'm already excited to think about taking the mound at Champions Field. "I want to meet the fans as soon as possible," he said. "As the club gave me a good opportunity, I will try to contribute to the team's performance."
KIA's general manager Shim Jae-hak said, "Kim Bum-soo is a bullpen pitcher who can overwhelm the opponent's batters based on strong pitching, which is an essential resource for the team. He said, "We showed good performance by maximizing our strengths last season, and we decided that there is a high possibility of growth in the future, so we pushed for recruitment."
General manager Shim then said of Hong Gun-hee, "He is a player who has consistently played as a must-win group by taking the mound in various situations regardless of the finish or set-up. Although there were ups and downs last year, I think he still has the ability to play as a must-win group. I look forward to fulfilling my role as a veteran player in a team bullpen with many young players," he said.
Regarding the reinforcement of the bullpen, an KIA official said, "We sought to reinforce the bullpen in various ways during the stove league. "I moved actively because the weakness of the bullpen was mentioned once again at the coaching staff strategy seminar," he said. "The reason why I chose the Asian quarter as a fielder to strengthen my infield defense is the background of this recruitment."
Prior to these two, KIA also announced the contract news with Cho Sang-woo, who was an internal FA. Cho Sang-woo signed an FA contract with Cho Sang-woo for a total of 1.5 billion won, including 500 million won in down payment, 800 million won in annual salary and 200 million won in incentives for two years. After signing the contract, Cho Sang-woo said through the club, "I'm sorry to the fans for not being able to deliver the news of the contract quickly. As it has been delayed, we plan to prepare for the season more firmly, and we will return the fans with a great performance on the mound at Champions Field, he said. "We will be a player who will greatly contribute to the team as well as individual performance during the contract period, and we will try to get a good evaluation from the club in the renewal negotiations two years later."
On Cho Sang-woo, KIA's general manager Shim Jae-hak said, "He played as a must-win group with the most holds in the team last season. He said, "He is an essential player for our team, and I expect that he will be a great help to the team's bullpen by protecting the victory at every important moment this season."
Meanwhile, Cho Sang-woo, Kim Bum-soo, and Hong Gun-hee, who have completed their contracts, will join the spring camp squad and leave the country on the 23rd.
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*This content was translated by AI.
