Roh Sihwan, 30.7 billion overpay? "There's been a lot of talk around you, but..." Hanwha's investment in 'Cheonji Gaebyeok' that broke my mind, 'Why' is it applauded

*This content was translated by AI.

Hanwha Eagles have a different idea. Sohn Hyuk (53), the head of Hanwha, explained himself why he signed a multi-year contract for a large-scale non-FA (free agent) with Noh Si-hwan (26).

Hanwha officially announced on the 23rd that it signed a non-FA multi-year contract with Noh Si-hwan, the team's leading hitter, on the 22nd.

Regarding the terms of the contract, Hanwha said, "The contract period from the 2027 season to the 2037 season is 11 years," adding, "The total amount including options is 30.7 billion won." This is the longest and largest contract in the history of the KBO league in terms of FA contracts and non-FA multi-year contracts, he added. As the club explained, it is a contract at the level of "a world-wide breakthrough."

In a question-and-answer session with the club, general manager Son Hyuk revealed more details about the non-FA multi-year contract process with Noh Si-hwan.

General manager Sohn said, "Because Noh Si-hwan had the idea of being a Hanwha Eagles himself, there were many words around him, but on the contrary, it went smoothly. It took some time to adjust some things at the end, but I think it's a relief for the team and the players because the contract was finalized before the start of the season."

Regarding the background of the "long-term contract," he said, "To put it simply, it's because it's Noh Si-hwan," adding, "I thought Noh was a present and future player of Hanwha, succeeding Jang Jong-hoon and Kim Tae-kyun, legends that all Hanwha fans know." As a result, the working-level staff said that a long-term contract is good. He also stressed that it was easy because, as mentioned earlier, the word "Hanwha" was constantly in Noh's head.

If Roh Si-hwan's total of KRW 1.1 billion is converted into an annual average amount, it is about KRW 2.8 billion. It is by no means a small sum. An amount of money that could affect the salary cap right away. It is also true that there is controversy over pay in some cases. When asked about salary cap concerns, Sohn said, "We are discussing it well with the working group. "Strategically, there is a difficult part to tell you at this point," he said. "To add to that, in fact, when I thought I was signing an FA contract with Noh Si-hwan about three times, I also thought it was a much better contract to sign a long-term contract now in many ways. It was a part where the entire working group shared their thoughts," he said. From the club's point of view, there seems to have been a calculation that even if the contract period with Noh Si-hwan is long, signing a contract now can save more money.

Noh Si-hwan can seek to advance to the big league through the posting system after the end of this season. Regarding the "background of the Major League posting clause," general manager Sohn said, "I thought about the motivation of the player. Every player has a dream of playing in the major leagues. In that regard, I also considered the fact that if Noh Si-hwan made his name as a major leaguer, both Hanwha fans and Hanwha people would be proud to see Noh Si-hwan," he said.

Hanwha explained, "We added a clause that allows players to advance to the Major League through posting after the end of the 2026 season, allowing them to induce motivation for players." However, only Major League Baseball is applicable. It is not the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Hanwha emphasized, "Overseas expansion is limited to the Major League, but through posting, we mutually agreed to remain a franchise of Hanwha and added contract terms."

Finally, general manager Sohn, who said, "Now Roh Si-hwan has become a member of Hanwha, the strongest team," said, "I think Roh Si-hwan is excellent not only as a player but also as a leader. If many fans support Noh Si-hwan, I think he will be able to see his splendid appearance for more than 11 years."

In fact, there has been a lot of talk during the offseason ahead of the contract between Hanwha and Noh Si-hwan. There was also a rumor that Roh Si-hwan wanted a contract worth at least 15 billion won. Kang Baek-ho, who was stamped with an annual average of 2.5 billion won and a total of 10 billion won for four years, could be a reference point. Of course, Roh Si-hwan was very likely to want a larger amount and a longer period of time. Even if the average annual amount is set at approximately 3 billion won, the contract size is mentioned to exceed 15 billion won in five years and 20 billion won in seven years.

However, Hanwha's approach itself was different. He has signed a mega megaton-class contract that has not been in KBO league history. Hanwha fans are giving generous applause to such a club. One of the biggest reasons is that Hanwha showed the romance of never missing a franchise star. Recently, in the KBO League, the main characters who seemed to remain franchise stars often left their original teams. It was a recent trend that would not be strange even if Noh signed an FA contract with another team. However, Noh Si-hwan will actually remain as a "lifetime Hanwha man." Even the fans of other teams are envious.

Above all, Noh Si-hwan is a rare right-handed slugger in the KBO league recently. On top of that, it boasts good durability enough to play more than 100 games for six consecutive seasons. A home run that bursts at a critical moment gives the team more than one win. In a big game, what is more necessary is a decisive shot by a big gun. Above all, one of the biggest advantages is me. With the age of 26 this year, even if he signed a four-year FA contract after the end of this season, he was only 30 years old in 2030, the end of the season. In response, some predicted that Hanwha would not be strange at all even if it signed a long-term contract of more than six years, not four years. And an ultra-long-term contract of 11 years, which transcends this, broke out.

After signing the contract, Noh Si-hwan said through the club, "Thank you to the club for appreciating my value and making a historic contract," adding, "I think there can be Roh Si-hwan now thanks to the support of the fans, and the power of the fans also had a great influence on this contract. I really want to say thank you to the fans," he said. "In the future, I will do my best to help Hanwha become a prestigious club with more responsibility as a franchise player," he said, adding, "I will play hard for the goal of winning the Korean Series with coaches, coaches and seniors and juniors in 2026."

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*This content was translated by AI.