19 players elect free agency in S. Korean baseball

Jeon Jun-woo, an outfielder for the Lotte Giants, is one of the 19 players to explore the open market. /Yonhap

Nineteen players have decided to explore the open market in South Korean baseball this offseason.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Sunday that 19 of 24 eligible players elected free agency. They can begin negotiating with interested clubs Monday.

The pool isn't as deep or top heavy as in recent years, though there are some solid, All-Star caliber players who can help contending clubs.

One is Jeon Jun-woo, a long-time outfielder for the Lotte Giants. The 33-year-old batted .301 with 22 home runs and 83 RBIs with 30 doubles this year, strong numbers across the board in a season when many hitters saw their power numbers dip drastically against the new heavier official ball brought in to curb offensive explosion.

Veteran closer Jung Woo-ram, who recorded 26 saves and had a 1.54 ERA for the Hanwha Eagles this year, will be a free agent for the second time. The 34-year-old had 103 saves in four seasons with the Eagles after signing with them as a free agent.

When there are between 11 and 20 free agents, each of the 10 clubs can sign up to two free agents from outside. When anywhere between 21 and 30 players become free agents, then clubs can acquire up to three free agents. But when there are fewer than 10 free agents, then clubs can only acquire one free agent each.

A club that signs a free agent must pay the player's previous club hefty compensation ― either paying twice the amount of the player's 2019 salary and sending a player not on the protected list, or paying three times the amount of the player's 2019 salary.

As the market officially opens Monday, the KBO and general managers of the league's 10 teams will meet to discuss changes to the free agency system.

One proposed change is to divide free agents into three different classes based on their salaries over the three most recent seasons and to adjust the current compensation accordingly.

They will also discuss reducing the number of full seasons that players must put in before becoming eligible for free agency. Currently, high school graduates must play nine full seasons, while players who join the KBO after college must play eight full seasons. Those terms would be eight and seven years, respectively, if the reduction is implemented.

To qualify for a full season, position players must appear in at least two-thirds of the 144-game season and pitchers must throw at least two-thirds of 144 innings, the minimum required to qualify for the ERA title.

Even if the league office and the teams reach an agreement on any changes, they likely won't come into effect until the 2020 offseason. (Yonhap)