First camp is over and still unsigned

The ‘only unsigned player’, Song Min-seob (33-KT Wiz), hasn’t been heard from since the end of the first spring camp in Gijang. Why hasn’t he put his stamp on a salary freeze rather than a cut?

A club official who met with KT Wiz at Hyundai Motor Dream Ball Park in Gijang-gun, Busan, the site of the team’s first spring training camp, said, “The salary contract negotiations with Song Min-sup have not been finalized. We are still waiting for the player after offering him the same salary as last year.”

KT finalized salary contracts for the 2024 season with 64 of the 65 players who were eligible for re-signing on March 31. Park Young-hyun, who was the youngest holdout last year, received the club’s highest increase (162.3 percent) and highest raise (99 million won), 바카라사이트 while Pil Seung-jo Son Dong-hyun and unproven right-handed hitter Moon Sang-chul became the first players to earn billion-dollar salaries after their debuts. Kang Baek-ho, who suffered a 47.3 percent salary cut this time last year, signed a frozen contract.

Backup outfielder Song Min-seop was the only non-signee among the 65 players.

Salary negotiations broke down due to differences with the club, and he was unable to join the first spring training camp in Gijang. The first camp will wrap up on the morning of the 21st, and Song is still walking in parallel with the club. KT will leave Korea and head to Okinawa, Japan, for the second spring training camp on May 22nd.

Song Min-seob is a founding member of the Wizard Army who joined KT in 2014 as a developmental player after graduating from Sunryin Internet High School and Dankook University. Despite his lack of skill, he became a regular player within a year with his characteristic grit and bad-boy attitude, and he worked hard every day to establish himself as the No. 1 backup in KT’s outfield. Song is the only survivor of the 22 players who joined KT through the 2013 tryout.

However, the calculation of his salary and the subsequent negotiations are strictly based on performance. Song struggled in 69 games last year, batting just 1-for-3 (23 RBI) with six runs scored and three stolen bases. Despite being a backup until 2022, he has played in triple-digit games for four straight years, but last season he overwhelmingly spent more time on the bench than on the field.

However, KT did not cut Song’s salary.

According to KT officials, they offered him the same 65 million won as last year, focusing on his value as a backup rather than his performance, but negotiations broke down.

Song may not be as flashy as other starters, but KT’s players say he is irreplaceable. Coach Lee Kang-cheol appreciates his hard-working attitude and willingness to do whatever it takes, and his teammates are encouraged by his battle cry in the dugout. On the field, his hustle is fundamental. Despite a dismal 3-for-23 performance, his salary has been frozen, but that doesn’t seem to bother him.

KT currently has most of its front office, 토토사이트 추천 including salary negotiators, in Gijang, not Suwon. Song must make up his mind and contact them before the contract can be stamped. “We are still waiting for the player to contact us,” a KT official said.

Song Min-seob is currently in Suwon, South Korea, training privately to prepare for the season. However, the first camp has already wrapped up, and the start of the season is a month away. No matter how diligent a player is in his personal training, the quantity and quality of his training is very different from the organized training of a team. If he wants to play in the 2024 season, it”s in his best interest and the team”s best interest to make a decision sooner rather than later.