10 billion FA is funny, was Choo Shin-soo's four-year, 7.13 billion contract a "special benefit"

SSG Landers Choo Shin-soo made an amazing decision.

SSG announced on Wednesday that Choo Shin-soo has signed a contract for the 2024 season for a minimum annual salary of 30 million won, and will retire at the end of this season. He added that he will also donate his annual salary of 30 million won.

"Living Legend," who was recognized as one of the best star players in the U.S. Major League Baseball. I can't help but be surprised to hear that such a player would play a season for virtually no money. However, when I think about it, I feel like Choo Shin-soo has the best tricks.

Choo decided to go to Korea three years ago. In line with the SSG's founding, Choo has become a win-win relationship. Choo, who came down from his prime, had the opportunity to end his professional career in front of fans in his home country. The SSG was able to garner the huge success of its foundation with the credit card "Choo Shin-soo." Naturally, baseball was a must-have. He was given 2.7 billion won (2.4 million U.S. dollars) in annual salary.

However, Choo's career in the SSG has not always been rosy. He has consistently played as a cleanup hitter, but his performance has not been as good as expected. He has a batting average of mid-20s for three consecutive seasons. He had 21 homers and 25 stolen bases in the 2021 season, but his number of homers and stolen bases has plummeted since then. Considering the expectations of the best player in the Major League and the expectations of his salary, it was clearly not a personal performance that was out of favor.

He publicly defended Ahn Woo-jin (Kium), who was embroiled in a controversy over his alleged "academic violence," ahead of this season, causing a huge backlash. Choo did not make an apology or explain about his remarks, and finished the season.

On top of that, he must have been under tremendous stress over his future after the season. The team replaced Kim Won-hyung, calling for a generational change. However, it was an awkward scenario for a player in his 40s who is paid tremendously to keep his position. Rumors have it that he will be appointed as a coach.

However, Choo had strong will to play as an active player. He lost in this fall season in vain. He must have wanted to let go of his pain next season. On top of that, new coach Lee's love call also shook Choo's heart.

If Choo had insisted on his annual salary of 2.7 billion won for the first two years and 1.7 billion won for the last season, he might have been questioned for his willingness to extend his active duty. The KBO League has even established a salary cap system, which puts a huge burden on high-paid players. In the meantime, as Choo plans to play with the minimum salary, he can't help but feel that "Oh, you really wanted to burn your last year's passion as a player."

He will spend four years in Korea. Coincidentally, four years is the number of years when players who have qualified as an FA sign contracts. If Choo had come to Korea as an FA, he would have received more than 10 billion won for four years. When Lee returned to the Lotte Giants after finishing one season of the Seattle Mariners in the Major League, he received 15 billion won for four years.

As a result, Choo has become a player who received 7.13 billion won for four years. Considering the current trend of making 10 billion won contracts laughably, a new perspective of "beneficiary" contracts seems possible. It certainly contributed to the success of SSG, and the team won the overall title last season. Choo's leadership played an important role in that. Choo's visit to Korea improved the stadium environment, and many juniors reportedly followed him when they saw him taking good care of his body. There are many teams that cannot win even after investing tens of billions of won. 토토