Taiwan also taken aback by Noh Si-hwan’s challenge to the U.S.! “Wang Yencheng’s teammate and Korea’s highest-paid slugger ever heading to MLB?”

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

As Hanwha Eagles’ “flagship slugger” Noh Si-hwan (26) has abruptly declared his intention to enter Major League Baseball (MLB) ahead of the activation of a massive 11-year, 30.7 billion won contract, Taiwanese media have focused their attention on the news.

Upon learning of Noh Si-hwan’s posting application, prominent Taiwanese outlet “Liberty Times” reported swiftly on October 31: “Hanwha’s powerful third baseman Noh Si-hwan, who swept the KBO League home run and RBI titles in 2023, will challenge the Major League stage through the posting system.” In particular, the media introduced Noh Si-hwan as “a teammate of Wang Yencheng, left-handed pitcher for the Taiwan national team,” showing great interest in the big league challenge by a key batter familiar to Taiwanese baseball fans.

Prior to this, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced on the same day that it had formally requested the MLB office to post Noh Si-hwan to the 30th MLB teams at the request of the Hanwha Eagles club.

According to regulations, the 30th MLB teams may conduct contract negotiations with Noh Si-hwan from 8 a.m. (U.S. Eastern Time) on the day following the MLB office’s posting notice until 5 p.m. on the 30th day. If a deal is reached, a transfer fee in accordance with the Korea-U.S. Player Contract Agreement will be paid to the Hanwha club. However, if no contract is reached by the expiration of negotiations, the posting will end, and re-posting will not be possible until November 1 of the following year.

Liberty Times detailed Noh Si-hwan’s performance, describing him as a “batter who performed brilliantly this season in the KBO League with 29 home runs, 96 RBIs, a .283 batting average, a .360 on-base percentage, a .505 slugging percentage, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .865,” and as a “representative slugger who has left a career record of 153 home runs, 586 RBIs, and a .267 batting average over eight seasons in the KBO League.” It also noted that he has served as a pillar of the South Korean national team in major international tournaments such as the World Baseball Classic (WBC) and the Nagoya Asian Games.

His astronomical salary and unique contract terms have also drawn intense local interest. Ahead of last season, Noh Si-hwan signed a non-FA multi-year contract with Hanwha for a total of 30.7 billion won (approximately 700 million New Taiwan dollars) over 11 years, marking the longest-term and largest-scale mega-deal in KBO history.

This massive contract was originally scheduled to take effect from the 2027 season through the 2037 season. However, due to an overseas move clause included at the time, if Noh Si-hwan successfully enters MLB through this posting, the 30.7 billion won contract will be completely voided. If he returns to Korea after performing on the international stage, he must return to Hanwha.

Attention from both domestic and Taiwanese baseball circles is focused on Noh Si-hwan’s move, as he has thrown down a challenge toward the world’s top stage while leaving behind the stable 30.7 billion won jackpot.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original