[Official] "100 million → 900 million" Koo Chang-mo ranked No. 1 in annual salary increase rate! KBO average salary hit the highest ever... '1.6 billion → 4.2 billion' Yang Eui-ji became the highest player

*This content was translated by AI.

In 2026, the average KBO league salary reached an all-time high.

According to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the average annual salary of 529 players (excluding newcomers, foreigners, and Asian quarter players) in the KBO League in 2026 was 175.36 million won. It is up 9.1% from last year's average 160.71 million won, the highest average annual salary in the KBO league ever.

Koo Chang-mo, a left-hander of the NC Dinos, ranked No. 1 in annual salary growth this year. Koo Chang-mo will receive 900 million won, an 800% increase from 100 million won in the previous year. Koo Chang-mo's 800% increase rate ranks second in the KBO league's annual salary increase rate. The No. 1 ranking is 1233.3% recorded by Hanyu Island (SSG Landers) in 2022.

The highest salary was Yang Eui-ji (Doosan Bears), a catcher of the Golden Glove. Yang Eui-ji's annual salary increased by 2.6 billion won from 1.6 billion won to 4.2 billion won, marking the highest annual salary increase in the KBO league ever. In 2022, SSG Hanyu Island increased from 180 million won to 2.4 billion won, surpassing the record of 2.22 billion won. In addition, Yang Eui-ji became the highest-paid player among registered players in 2026. At the same time, it broke the record of 1.7 billion won for SSG Choi in 2025, the highest salary in his 21st year.

In the pitching category, KT Ko Young-pyo (2.6 billion won), Lotte Park Se-woong, and Hanwha Ryu Hyun-jin (2.1 billion won) were ranked in the top three in annual salary. In the fielders category, SSG Choi Jung (2.2 billion won) and LG Oh Ji-hwan (1.4 billion won) ranked in the top three after Yang Eui-ji. The highest-paid players for each club were six pitchers (LG, Hanwha, Samsung, NC, KT, and Lotte) and three fielders (SSG, Doosan, and Kiwoom). Yang Hyun-jong and Na Sung-bum tied for first place in KIA.

Choi Hyung-woo, who returned to his former team Samsung Lions for the first time in 10 years this winter, became the first player in KBO league history to record a 25-year salary. Naturally, the 400 million won he will receive this season is the highest annual salary in his 25th year. Previously, the longest record was in the 24th year of salary, and Choi Hyung-woo also holds the record for the highest salary ever in the 24th year.

James Nail (KIA Tigers), who is in his third year in the KBO League, received $1.8 million and ranked first in foreign player salaries (including down payment). Ariel Furado and Lewin Diaz (Samsung) then ranked second and third with $1.6 million and $1.5 million, respectively. Meanwhile, among the 30 foreign players, the U.S. had the highest number of nationalities with 20, with Venezuela registered with five, the Dominican Republic with three, and Cuba and Panama each registered one.

In addition, the salaries of players in the Asian quarter, which will take effect from the 2026 season, were also counted. Lachlan Wells (LG), Shota Takeda (SSG), and Ichiro Tamura (Doosan) tied for first in the Asian quarter player's salary (including down payment) with $200,000 each. A total of 10 players in the Asian quarter were registered, with seven Japanese nationals, two in Australia and one in Taiwan.

SSG ranked first in both the total annual salary of the team and the average annual salary this year following last year. SSG is the only team among the 10 teams to exceed 12 billion won with a total of 12.47 billion won. The average annual salary was also the highest at 2783 million won, and only three clubs, including Doosan (27.76 million won) and LG (20.94 million won), exceeded the average annual salary of 200 million won.

LG, the winner of last year, had the highest average annual salary increase rate. LG marked a 38.9 percent increase, rising from 144.65 million won to 2094 million won. Doosan rose from 150.79 million won to 277.76 million won, posting a 37.8 percent increase.

Meanwhile, the oldest player in the KBO League in 2026 is Samsung's Choi Hyung-woo at 42 years, 1 month, and 15 days, and the youngest player is LG's Junsung Park at 18 years, 1 month, and 19 days. All of them are based on the January 31st deadline for registration of their players. The tallest players are Anthony Beniziano (SSG) and Curtis Taylor (NC), who are 198cm tall, and the shortest players are Kim Sung-yoon and Kim Ji-chan (Samsung) who are 163cm tall.

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*This content was translated by AI.