Jeon Jun-woo and Lee Seok-hwan, representatives of the Lotte Giants, are shaking hands after signing a contract. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] Lotte Giants (CEO Lee Seok-hwan) has signed a free agent (FA) contract with player Jeon Jun-woo.
On the 8th, Lotte announced that they signed an FA contract with Jeon Jun-woo for a period of 4 years, worth up to 3.4 billion KRW (signing bonus 1.2 billion KRW, total annual salary 2 billion KRW, total options 200 million KRW).
Lotte explained the reason for the contract, stating, "Jeon Jun-woo is an essential player for the team and a top-tier franchise star in the league. We were determined to keep him and never once thought of losing him. Above all, we judged that he would have a positive influence both inside and outside the team as a role model for the players."
Jeon Jun-woo expressed his thoughts, saying, "I am grateful to the Lotte fans who showed great interest and patience until the contract was finalized. I have heard many people asking me to stay with Lotte. Each word from the fans deeply touched my heart and strengthened my resolve to continue playing baseball with Lotte. I will do my best to repay them with good performance."
Jeon Jun-woo, who joined Lotte in the second round of the 2008 draft, has played in 1,071 games over 11 seasons, recording a batting average of 0.294, 135 home runs, and 555 RBIs. Especially this season, despite the pitcher-friendly trend caused by the change in the official ball, Jeon Jun-woo showed consistent offensive skills with a batting average of 0.301, 22 home runs, and 83 RBIs.
On the 6th, Lotte strengthened their batting lineup by signing An Chi-hong from the KIA Tigers as a free agent.
Meanwhile, Lotte is still in negotiations with Ko Hyo-jun and Son Seung-rak.
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