Will Lotte Giants, which succeeded in cracking down, start recruiting outside free agents.

Lotte signed free agency contracts with pitchers Kim Won-joong and Koo Seung-min on Wednesday. The details of Kim's contract are worth 5.4 billion won, including four years of contract, 4.4 billion won in guaranteed amount and 1 billion won in incentives, while Koo signed a contract with Lotte for up to 2.1 billion won, including 2+2 years of contract, 300 million won in down payment, 1.2 billion won in annual salary, and 600 million won in incentives.안전놀이터

Both players are still necessary for the team. Kim Won-joong and Koo finished the 2024 season with three wins, six losses and 25 saves and an earned run average of 3.55 in 56 ⅓ and 63 ⅔, respectively, and five wins, three losses and 13 holds and an earned run average of 4.84 in 57 ⅔ and 66 games, respectively. Koo played in the second-most games in his team after Kim Sang-soo (74 games), while Kim Won-joong played in the fourth-most games after Kim Sang-soo, Koo Seung-min and Han Hyun-hee (57 games).

Lotte was in poor bullpen conditions, as the team's ERA in the 2024 season reached 5.36 (ranking ninth). If one of the two players had left the lineup, Lotte could have had difficulty coming up with a plan for its performance in the 2025 season. Moreover, Lotte had to move quickly as the players quickly concluded the contract one by one after another after the opening of the FA market, and resolved the biggest challenge in the Stove League by finding an agreement with the players.

"We recognized Kim Won-joong as an essential player for the team and have continued to communicate with him since the beginning of the season. He is a player who can play an important role in the overall growth of the team," Lotte General Manager Park Joon-hyuk said. "Koo Seung-min has shown consistent performance by playing as a must-winner for the team. He is more committed to the team than anyone else and can lead the team's culture in a positive direction," expressing satisfaction with the deal.

A total of seven players, including Kim Won-joong and Koo Seung-min, have completed FA contracts, and 13 players are currently left in the FA market. By grade, B grade (Im Ki-young, Jang Hyun-sik, Ryu Ji-hyuk, Noh Kyung-eun, Ha Joo-seok, and Lee Yong-chan) and C grade (Seo Geon-chang, Kim Heon-gon, Kim Kang-ryul, Lim Jung-ho, Kim Sung-wook, and Moon Sung-hyun) are each six, and Choi Won-tae is the only one in A grade.

According to the KBO League's FA grading system, players who recruit players from other clubs must compensate their original teams. Teams that recruit A-level players must compensate their original teams for 200 percent of their 2024 salary and one player other than 20 protected players, or 300 percent of their 2024 salary. Teams that possess B-level players must give 100% of their 2024 salary and one player other than 25 protected players, or 200 percent of their 2024 salary. For C-level players, only 150 percent of their 2024 salary is required without compensation.

With a total of 20 FA-approved players announced this year, 10 clubs can sign up to two of the FA-approved players from other clubs under Article 173 [Restrictions on Acquisition of FA] of the KBO Covenant. Each club can recruit up to two outside FA players if there are 11-20 FA-approved players, and up to three players per club if there are 21-30 FA-approved players.

There are quite a few players who can be used immediately with the sense of power. In particular, as B or C grade players are not burdened with compensation compared to A grade, teams that want to strengthen their capabilities should seek recruitment.

Lotte, which invested 7.5 billion won (7.5 million U.S. dollars) to sign an internal FA contract, is also considered one of the teams that can move to recruit external FA. Lotte, which spent its first season under Kim Tae-hyung, failed to advance to the postseason, finishing seventh with 66 wins, 4 draws and 74 losses (0.471) this year. Although it confirmed the growth of young players, it was Lotte's 2024 season that confirmed more tasks than performance.

If Lotte judges that there is something more lacking in the current team's power, it can start recruiting outside FA. However, various factors such as market atmosphere and team situation must be considered. It remains to be seen what choice Lotte will make.