Kim Tae-kyun, a Korean baseball slugger returning home after a stint in Japan, has signed the largest-ever contract in local baseball, Kim's team announced Monday.
The Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said they have signed Kim to a one-year deal worth 1.5 billion won ($1.3 million), the most lucrative contract in the KBO's 29-year history. Kim is scheduled to hold a press conference later Monday in Daejeon, the home of the Eagles, located some 160 kilometers south of Seoul.
Kim's contract surpasses a one-year, 800 million won deal signed by Lee Seung-yeop with the Samsung Lions. But Lee's contract included 300 million won in a club option, while Kim is guaranteed 1.5 billion won.
Kim, 29, is returning after spending a little more than a season with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). In his first Japanese season in 2010, Kim hit 21 home runs and drove in 92 runs, helping the Marines win the Japan Series championship. He was also the top vote getter in the Pacific League for last year's All-Star Game.
But in 2011, Kim managed only one home run and 14 runs batted in (RBI) as wrist and back injuries limited him to 36 games. In July, Kim decided to end his Japanese career with one year left on his contract.
He and the Marines agreed to cancel out the final year of Kim's three-year contract signed before the 2010 season, after Kim reportedly asked for the contract's termination because he would no longer be much help to the team. He had signed for 150 million yen ($1.9 million) per season with 100 million yen in a signing bonus.
Before moving to Japan, Kim had been one of the KBO's premier sluggers. He was the KBO Rookie of the Year in 2001, thanks to a .335 average along with 20 home runs and 54 RBIs in 88 games. In nine KBO seasons, Kim posted a career average of .310, and belted at least 20 home runs in six of those seasons.
He caught the eyes of international scouts as Korea's clean-up hitter at the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC). He led the tournament with three home runs and 11 RBIs as South Korea finished runner-up to Japan.
Kim is the second South Korean baseball player to return this winter after a stint in Japan. Earlier this month, Lee Seung-yeop ended his eight-year career in Japan and rejoined his former KBO club, the Samsung Lions.
Before returning home, Kim said he had always planned to rejoin the Eagles once his Japanese career ended and thanked the management for showing interest in reacquiring him. (Yonhap)