Ex-KBO MVP Kim Jae-hwan signs with Landers after release from Bears

New SSG Landers outfielder Kim Jae-hwan, right, shakes hands with the club's CEO, Kim Jae-sub, after signing with the Korea Baseball Organization team, Friday. Courtesy of SSG Landers

Former South Korean baseball MVP Kim Jae-hwan has found a new home after being released by his former team last month.

The SSG Landers announced Friday they have signed Kim, 37, to a two-year contract worth up to 2.2 billion won ($1.5 million) — with 1 billion won in total salary, 600 million won in signing bonus and another 600 million up for grabs in incentives.

By signing with the Landers, Kim is returning to the western city of Incheon where he played middle school and high school baseball.

Kim, the 2018 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular-season MVP, was released by the Doosan Bears on Nov. 26. His four-year contract with them expired after the 2025 season, but instead of exercising his rights as a free agent, Kim chose to first negotiate a new contract with the Bears.

When the two sides couldn't come to an agreement, a clause kicked in that allowed for an unconditional release for Kim.

Teams that sign free agents must offer compensation for those players' former teams, either with a combination of cash and a player or with cash alone. However, because Kim was unconditionally released after initial talks with the Bears broke down, he hit the open market with no strings attached.

The Landers pounced on Kim, looking to bolster a below-average offense with the veteran slugger that they think can still be productive.

Despite making the postseason in 2025, the Landers ranked seventh among the 10 KBO teams in slugging percentage with .376 and tied for eighth in on-base plus slugging (OPS) with .706.

Kim made his KBO debut with the Bears in 2008 but didn't have his breakout campaign until 2016, when he finished third in the league with 36 home runs and 124 RBIs.

In 2018, Kim was voted the MVP after leading the KBO with 44 home runs and 133 RBIs.

From 2016 to 2022, Kim launched 263 home runs, the second-highest total in the KBO during that stretch.

Kim's home run total dipped from 23 in 2022 to just 10 in 2023. He bounced back by pounding out 29 home runs in 2024 but only managed 13 home runs with a .241 batting average in 2025.

The Landers noted the outfielder still has a solid .783 OPS over the past three seasons and posted an even better .802 OPS at their hitter-friendly park, Incheon SSG Landers Field.

"He has been one of the league's best power hitters over the past three years, and we expect him to thrive at our home stadium," the Landers said. "His hard-hit rate and barrel rate from the 2025 season would have put him in second place on our team. We expect him to provide power in the heart of our lineup."

The Landers also said Kim's experience and leadership should have a positive impact on the otherwise youthful squad, and Kim himself was ready for a change of scenery.

"I see this opportunity as the final challenge of my baseball career," Kim said. "I will try my best to ensure this will not go to waste and deliver only great results for Landers fans."