Участник:10 billion was the standard from the start
Ko Young-pyo has become the "man of the jackpot." KT officially announced on Monday that it has signed a five-year contract with Ko Young-pyo with a total of 10.7 billion won. The 10.7 billion won consists of 9.5 billion won in guarantees and 1.2 billion won in options.
Ko Young-pyo is a founding member of KT after graduating from Dongguk University and receiving the second first-round pick in the 2014 rookie draft. He is a submarine pitcher who recorded 55 wins, 50 losses and seven holds in 231 games in seven seasons.
His performances in the last three seasons have been tremendous. He has won double-digit starts for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023, and has established himself as a representative pitcher of the KBO league by ranking first in each category, recording a WAR of 15.87 and a QS of 63 times.
In addition, Ko Young-pyo is a franchise pitcher who holds the club record in various categories, including the most starts in 127 games, the most wins (55 wins), the most innings (920 ⅔ innings), and the most shutouts (4 times).
As more than 10 billion won is spent, there is no choice but to say whether it is the right price. However, considering Ko Young-pyo's capability and market conditions, it is evaluated that KT has made an efficient investment.
First of all, there are no starting resources in the market. If Ko Young-pyo had been in the FA market after one season, he would have recorded a closing price. It is at a disadvantage for KT if they have a money fight. Although the parent company supports it well, there is a limit in the FA market, where decisions must be made quickly. KT judged this market situation in a cool manner. It was calculated that Kim Jae-yoon, the closer who left for the Samsung Lions, could fill the empty spot with another player. However, if Ko Young-pyo was absent, he would never recover.
Other players' contracts make it very easy to compare. The NC Dinos made a mega deal with Koo for up to seven years, 13.2 billion won (17.8 million U.S. dollars). However, Koo has always been in danger of injury. This is why critics say he signed an unreasonable contract. In fact, Koo joined the military after being put on the operating table. Lotte Giants gave Park a total of 9 billion won (9 million dollars) for five years. He is certainly a steady player, but he is a player who can expect three points and an ERA in the late 10 wins. This is evidenced by his overall record. Being younger than Ko Young-pyo is Park Se-woong's advantage, but he has an overwhelming advantage in terms of content and record.
Therefore, KT started negotiations with Ko Young-pyo based on 10 billion won from the beginning. It didn't go up from 8~9 billion won, but Ko Young's side paid a convincing amount from the beginning. So the negotiations were inevitably easy. There was only the last negotiation in terms of guarantees and incentives.