*This content was translated by AI.
The Hanwha Eagles have begun to agonize over the choice of compensation player for Kim Bum-soo (31), a free agent (FA) heading to the KIA Tigers. Who will be the player who will return to Korea midway through Hanwha's choice in the KIA spring camp.
An official from Hanwha said in a phone call with Star News on the 27th, "I received a 25-member protected list from the KIA club on the 26th. There are many things to think about from various angles, so the front desk and the site are pondering. The number of candidates has been narrowed down to less than three," he said.
Initially, the industry predicted that it would not take long for Hanwha to announce the compensation list as soon as it received the compensation list from KIA. However, Hanwha seems to be carefully rolling the dice, thinking about many factors rather than making a bold choice.
Currently, Hanwha Eagles general manager Son Hyuk is with the team and coaching staff in Melbourne, Australia, where the spring camp is set up. Here, he is discussing compensation players with manager Kim Kyung-moon, who represents the field. With the number of candidates compressed to less than three, the club's official announcement may come out as early as today (28th).
Earlier, KIA signed an FA contract with Kim Bum-soo for a total of 2 billion won, including a three-year contract period, 500 million won in down payment, 1.2 billion won in annual salary and 300 million won in incentives, before leaving for spring camp in Japan.
Kim Bum-soo joined Hanwha as the first designated player in 2015 and has taken the mound in 481 games in 11 seasons until last season, marking 27 wins, 47 losses, 5 saves, 72 holds, 484 strikeouts, and a 5.18 ERA. Above all, he performed well last season and made a great contribution to Hanwha's runner-up. In the 2025 season, Kim Bum-soo pitched in 73 games and recorded a good performance of 2-1 with 2 saves, 6 holds, 41 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.25 in a total of 48 innings.
Kim Bum-soo was in FAB grade. Teams that have left Grade B can collect "one compensation player other than the 25-member protection list and 100% of the 2025 salary" or "200% of the 2025 salary without compensation players" from the recruiting team. Kim Bum-soo's salary in 2025 is 143 million won, which is not a large amount from the club's point of view.
In accordance with Article 172, Paragraph 8 of the KBO Code, FA in the previous year, foreign players, FA compensation transfer players in the previous year, rookie players in the current year (including foster players), and military suspension players are automatically protected.
The FA contract between Kim Bum-soo and KIA was announced to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on the 23rd. According to regulations, clubs that have recruited FA players must deliver a list of compensation players to the original team within three days after the announcement. KIA passed the list of 25 protected players on the 26th. And the club that receives the list must make a decision within three days. First of all, Hanwha decided to choose a compensation player rather than a 200% reward. Hanwha must decide and announce by tomorrow (29th).
Hanwha will challenge for the presidency this season as it did last season. To this end, Kang Baek-ho, one of the sluggers representing the KBO league, was recruited on a four-year, 10 billion won condition. The average annual amount is 2.5 billion won. In fact, Kang suffered from injury except for the 2024 season (144 games) out of the last four seasons. He played only 62 games in the 2022 season, 71 games in the 2023 season, and 95 games in the 2025 season. Still, Hanwha appreciated the value of young Kang Baek-ho and made a bold investment. In addition, Jonathan Peraza was re-recruited, further strengthening the lineup.
In addition, since Seung-hyuk and Kim Bum-soo were sent off, bullpen resources are also needed. On top of that, the two foreign one-two punches, Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss, and the so-called "Phone and Duo," left, creating variables on the mound in the 2026 season.
Even so, it can be said that Hanwha's position that needs reinforcement immediately is center field. Hanwha has experimented with various resources while failing to find the center fielder resources that have firmly established themselves. He said goodbye to Luis Liberato, who played center field last season on a contract with Peraza. For Peraza and Moon Hyun-bin, corner outfielders are considered more suitable resources. Lee Jin-young, Lee Won-seok, and rookie Oh Jae-won in the first round are also being mentioned as candidates for center field.
However, if Hanwha, which seems to need center field or bullpen resources, chooses KIA's infielder as a compensation player, it will be a result that overturns everyone's expectations. If many potential infielders have been released from KIA's list other than 25 protected players, Hanwha will also have to worry. KIA is currently sweating in Amami-Oshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, the place of the first spring camp. With a total of 48 athletes participating, who will be the player who will return home midway through Hanwha's choice.
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*This content was translated by AI.
