Salary negotiations for the 2023 renewal contract, which were exceptionally slow. Veteran Oh Seung-hwan (41, Samsung Lions) showed a sense of responsibility despite the unprecedented pain.
Samsung said in a press release on the 11th, “As the team’s oldest player, Seung-hwan Oh is responsible for the team’s performance that did not advance to the postseason, as well as the 2023 annual salary blank in the sense of a white uniform for the individual and team rebound this season. I have communicated my intention to the club,” he said.
Oh Seung-hwan is the leading closer in the KBO League. He showed off his presence as the king of the end, recording an average ERA of 1.93 and 772 strikeouts in 610 KBO games, 370 saves, and 677 innings. However, he was a bit disappointing last season. He suffered a sluggish performance in the middle of the season and gave up the finishing position. 스포츠토토
Oh Seung-hwan, who recovered his skills in the middle and late season, firmly guarded the team’s back door. From August, he recorded 13 saves in 21 games, helping the team compete in fall baseball, but the team stayed in 7th place in the league (66 wins, 2 draws, 76 losses) and failed to advance to the postseason.
Oh Seung-hwan received an annual salary of 1.6 billion won last year, but he judged that he did not do his part as the team’s eldest brother and veteran, so he conveyed his intention to entrust the club with a blank salary for 2023. When looking at the annual salary contracts by club this season, Oh Seung-hwan’s Baek Ui-jong is definitely worth paying attention to.
Recently, an agent, not an individual player, takes the place of the player. The trend is to increase the value of players based on rich data and logic. On the contrary, the club tries to stick to the right amount according to its own evaluation system. Because of that, the tug-of-war over salary negotiations continues this season. Some clubs have yet to finalize salary contracts with players, and there are still pains because there is a difference of opinion.
In this situation, Oh Seung-hwan himself delegated all authority over the annual salary to the club. It means that the club will put a stamp on the amount offered, and the player will focus on baseball. In a big way, it seems like a veteran’s responsibility and a will to do better next season.
Oh Seung-hwan took a step back to achieve better results for both the individual and the team. I wonder if Oh Seung-hwan’s message will have an impact on the KBO League, which is currently experiencing difficulties in salary negotiations.