[Official] Gu Ja-wook Signs with Samsung... 280 Million KRW + 20 Million KRW Incentives

Samsung Lions player Koo Ja-wook / Photo by Samsung Lions official website capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Sung-yeol] Samsung Lions and Gu Ja-wook (27) have successfully reached an agreement.

On the 10th, Samsung officially announced salary contracts with 49 players subject to renewal for 2020. Gu Ja-wook was included in the announced list.

Samsung stated, "We have completed salary contracts with the 49 players subject to renewal this year," and "Gu Ja-wook, who was the last unsigned player, signed the contract today."

Gu Ja-wook signed a contract for 280 million KRW, a 20 million KRW reduction from last year's 300 million KRW. However, he can receive up to 20 million KRW in incentives based on performance. The team, which wanted a salary cut, and Gu Ja-wook, who wanted a salary freeze, reached an agreement through incentives.

Gu Ja-wook will join the spring camp in Okinawa, Japan, on the 13th.

Gu Ja-wook, who debuted in 2015, played 116 games that year with a batting average of 0.349, 11 home runs, and 57 RBIs, earning the Rookie of the Year award.

In the 2019 season, he played 122 games with a batting average of 0.267, 15 home runs, and 71 RBIs, and the team finished in 8th place.

As a result, Samsung brought up a salary cut during negotiations, and the talks were prolonged due to Gu Ja-wook's resistance.