LG Twins sign free agent outfielder Park Hae-min

SEOUL-- The LG Twins announced their signing of free agent outfielder Park Hae-min on Tuesday, as the first big domino in South Korean baseball's offseason market fell with a bang.

The Twins said Park, who'd spent the past nine years with the Samsung Lions, agreed to a four-year deal worth 6 billion won (US$5.1 million). The 31-year-old will make 600 million won each year in guaranteed salary and can make up to 400 million won in total in incentives. More than half of his deal, 3.2 billion won, will come in as a signing bonus.

This is the Twins' first external free agent signing in four years.

In Park, the Twins are getting one of the best defensive center fielders in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Park is also a consistent threat on bases, with 318 steals since his first full season in 2014, ranking him first in the KBO in that category. Park led the league in steals in four straight seasons from 2015 to 2018, and ranked third in 2021 with 36.

In 1,096 career games, Park has batted .286/.354/.388.

Of 14 free agents, Park is the second one to ink a deal, but the first to switch clubs. The Hanwha Eagles signed their own free agent, catcher Choi Jae-hoon, on Nov. 27, but Park is a far more accomplished player that the Twins hope will take them over the hump.

The Twins ranked eighth among 10 clubs in batting average (.250), on-base percentage (.342) and runs (654), while coming in ninth in hits (1,188). They posted the lowest team ERA with 3.57, but the offense held them back in pursuit of their first championship since 1994.

Park also had an excellent run with the national team at the Tokyo Olympics, batting .440 with a .563 on-base percentage, seven runs scored and five RBIs in seven games as the leadoff man and starting center fielder.

The Twins already have a talented leadoff man who plays center field, with Hong Chang-ki having led the KBO this year with a .456 on-base percentage and 109 walks. Hong is a more of an on-base threat than Park, who will likely slot into the No. 2 spot in the Twins' revamped lineup.

Hong may move to a corner outfield spot with Park taking over as center fielder.

Twins' general manager Cha Myeong-seok called Park "a player our team absolutely needed" and added, "He plays defense at an elite level, and he will also help our club at the plate and on base paths."

Park served as the Lions' captain in 2021 as they reached the postseason for the first time since 2015 but will now don a new uniform for the first time in his professional career.

"I wanted to give myself a fresh set of challenges," Park said. "I will keep pushing myself to become a better ball player."

Park became emotional when discussing his times with the Lions, saying he had a lot of "father figures" on the team that helped him grow as a man and an athlete.

"I am sure there were fans who wanted me to stay with the Lions, and I don't even know how to apologize to them," Park said. "Samsung did the best they could (to bring me back), but LG made a slightly better offer."

Park said he should have little trouble making the transition to the new team because he already has a few close friends on the Twins.

"I can promise LG fans that I will give my very best every game," he added.

KBO free agents are divided into three classes depending on their salaries, and teams that signed free agents from outside must offer compensation to those players' previous teams accordingly.

Park, who earned 380 million won in 2021, was in Class A, which is for players who ranked in the top three in salary on their team and top 30 in the league.

In compensation for signing Park, the Twins must pay the Lions twice the amount of Park's 2021 salary and send a player back. Or the Twins may choose to pay the Lions three times Park's 2021 salary.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

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