By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter

The Kia Tigers locked up free agent catcher Kim Sang-hoon to a one-year contract worth 1.025 billion won, the team announced Wednesday.

Kim is the first of the eight free agents in the Korea Baseball Organization to sign a new deal.

Kim will earn an annual salary of 225 million won with a hefty 800 million won signing bonus.

"If I had moved to another team, I maybe could have earned more money. But I really hoped to stay with the Tigers," Kim said.

"Kia is priority for me because I can do my best here, and my heart is here. I also appreciate the fans and the team giving us its full support."

While it was announced that the contract is only for one season, it's widely believed that the two sides agreed on a multi-year deal. However, only one-year contracts can be registered with the league, as per KBO regulations.

It's also believed that the Korean Series champions will make him the highest paid catcher in KBO history over the course of that multi-year deal, surpassing the four-year, 3.4 billion won contract signed by LG Twins catcher Cho In-sung in 2007.

The 32-year-old catcher, who made his debut with the Haitai Tigers, the predecessor of the Kia Tigers, in 2000, has played 1076 games over 10 years, batting .249 and hitting 58 home runs and 375 RBIs over his career. Kim was qualified to become a free agent last year but because he suffered an injury in April 2008, he put off free agency until this year.

After earning an annual salary of just 150 million won this past season, Kim has hit the jackpot with his new deal. The Tigers have rewarded him for his ability to control Tigers' pitchers from behind the plate and for his role as the captain of the Tigers' for their first championship in 12 years.

Negotiations between the two sides began Monday. While there was initially a gap in expectations, it was not significant and it took little time for an agreement to be reached at the second meeting.

"I will focus only on my training, so I can be even better next year. I will do my best," Kim said.

yc@koreatimes.co.kr