SEOUL-- Former major league All-Star Choo Shin-soo will be back in the South Korean league for his second season in 2022.
The SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said on Tuesday that Choo has agreed to a new one-year deal worth 2.7 billion won (US$2.3 million), the same amount he earned here this year following 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). That salary made Choo the highest-paid player in KBO history.
The 2018 American League All-Star for the Texas Rangers played in 137 out of 144 games in his first KBO season, and batted .265/.409/.451 with 21 home runs, 25 steals and 100 walks. At 39, he became the oldest player in KBO history to join the 20-20 club. He tied for third in the league in walks and sixth in on-base percentage.
In his season-ending press conference in South Korea on Nov. 6, Choo had said he remained undecided on his immediate playing future and would need to discuss the matter with his family. He was also contemplating surgery on his ailing left elbow, the timing of which would be determined by the decision on his career.
Choo had said at the time that if he decided to return for another season with the Landers, it would be to try to win a Korean Series championship with them. They missed out on this year's postseason by a half game, and Choo said Tuesday, in a club statement, that he wants to help the Landers put up a better record next year.
"I thought we had such talented and hard-working players that we'd be able to win more games together," Choo said. "I've decided to continue my career with SSG, with the goal of reaching the postseason. My family supported my decision, which wasn't an easy one to make."
Choo added that his wife, in particular, showed a lot of faith in his decision.
"She saw the possibility of things I can do to help Korean baseball," Choo said. "She told me I should keep on playing while I still have a chance, and that I should continue to help young players along the way."
The Landers said Choo underwent elbow operation on Monday in the United States and that he will try to join the club in time for next year's spring training early next year.
The Landers owned rights to Choo following a special draft held in April 2007 for overseas-based South Korean players, which meant if Choo chose to play in the KBO, he had to play for that club for at least one season.
He brought instant credibility and star power to the Landers, a club that used to be called the SK Wyverns prior to an ownership change earlier this year. Choo batted .275/.377/.447 with 218 home runs and 782 RBIs in 1,652 career big league games. He has more career home runs and RBIs than any other Asian-born player in MLB history.
Choo said he proved to himself this season that he can still play at a competitive level, even as he nears his 40th birthday.
"Even though I didn't play the entire season, I still showed that I am healthy enough and strong enough to get into more than 130 games," Choo said. "I thought I'd be able to do the same next year. We had so many players get hurt this year, but we never gave up in our battle for the postseason until the very end. My teammates showed a lot of grit and determination, and I could see tremendous potential for a better future."
Choo just had his second elbow surgery of his career, with the first one having come in 2007 while he was with the Cleveland Indians.
Choo said his elbow kept him from playing outfield defense the way he wanted to and added he was "quite stressed out" about his condition.
"I opted for surgery because I wanted to do the best I can playing in the outfield," Choo said. "If I just end up as the designated hitter (DH), it may make things easy for me personally, but it would hurt the team. Over the course of a season, we need to have guys take turns as the DH to save energy. And if I am the only one doing that, then it will make life difficult for a lot of my teammates."
Though pitchers typically need a full year of rehab following their elbow operation, Choo said his process won't take as long.
"My goal is to build myself into shape so that I'd be able to hit at the start of the season," Choo said. "Playing defense could take a month or two longer. It's a tight schedule, but I'll do my best to get ready for the new season."
Source: Yonhap News Agency