Heroes sign captain Song Sung-mun to 6-year extension

Song Sung-mun of the Kiwoom Heroes, center, poses with the club's CEO Wie Jae-min, left, and general manager Huh Seung-pil after signing a six-year extension with the Korea Baseball Organization club worth 12 billion won ($8.7 million), in this photo provided by the Heroes, Aug. 4. Yonhap

The Kiwoom Heroes announced Monday they have signed their captain Song Sung-mun to a six-year contract extension, a decision that likely rules out the player's potential move to Major League Baseball (MLB).

The Heroes said the extension, worth 12 billion won ($8.7 million) in guaranteed money, will keep Song with them until the 2031 season. The signing ceremony took place at a Seoul hotel after Sunday's game with Song's wife and parents in attendance, the team added.

According to the Heroes, this is the most lucrative multiyear contract awarded to a non-free agent position player in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history.

Song, who turns 29 later in August, was drafted by the Heroes in 2014 and made his KBO debut the following year. The infielder did not become an everyday player until 2019 and then spent all of 2020 and the first part of 2021 fulfilling his military service duty.

Song enjoyed his breakout campaign in 2024, when he set career highs across the board with a .340/.409/.518 line, 19 home runs, 21 steals and 104 RBIs.

He has overcome a slow start to this season and is batting .297/.377/.483 through 104 games with 16 homers, 16 steals and 57 RBIs.

Song began drawing attention from MLB scouts last year. Song initially said he didn't think he was good enough to play in MLB and he would stay home. But then in June this year, Song changed his stance slightly, saying he would consider a move to the majors if the right opportunity came along.

Song would have become eligible to be posted for MLB teams after this season, but after signing this six-year deal, Song will be 35 by the time he will next be able to sign with a major league team.

Song thanked the club for their faith in him.

"I will try to be a positive influence for my teammates," he said. "I will wear the name of the team with pride and reward our fans with my best effort in every game."

The Heroes said they began preparing for a multiyear extension for Song at the start of this year.

"We felt he was going to be an essential part of our mid- to long-term plans," the club said. "We made our offer in April, and we went back and forth over finer points of the deal. We fully accepted the player's demands during our negotiations."

Heroes CEO Wie Jae-min said with the free agency market expected to heat up this winter, his cash-strapped club had to "make a strategic and careful decision."

"This contract represents a massive investment from the club's perspective, and that's indicative of the level of our trust and expectations in the player," Wie said. "To realize our mid- and long-term plans, signing Song Sung-mun to an extension was a must."