The LG Twins, which won the regular league-Korean series title for the first time in 29 years, continue to have a feast during the awards season. LG is still at the center of the story in winter due to requests for interviews from players, Ko Woo-suk’s posting to the Major League, and contract issues such as FA Lim Chan-kyu, Ham Deok-ju, and Kim Min-sung.
As players performed evenly, there are also many factors that raise the annual salary. Won-tae Choi, however, is one of the LG players who is most curious about next season’s annual salary.
Choi Won-tae, who played as the ace of the Kiwoom Heroes, came to LG during the season. LG handed over Lee Ju-hyung, a promising hitter who served in the military to bring in Choi Won-tae, Kim Dong-kyu, a promising pitcher with a second-year high school diploma, and a first-round pick in the 2024 rookie draft. As LG’s domestic starters were sluggish at the time, LG, which was seeking to win the title, had to bring in an ace-class Korean starter even at the risk of future bleeding, while Kiwoom, whose performance had already been deteriorating, received a promising player and gave up Choi Won-tae.
Prior to the trade match, Choi pitched in 17 games, 102 ⅓s, 6 wins, 4 losses and an earned run average of 3.25. According to the trade results on July 29, Choi tied for 14th with multiple wins, 10th with an earned run average, and 11th with an earned run average. Among Korean pitchers, he was among the best, ranking fifth with multiple wins, fourth with an earned run average, and fourth with an earned run average.
However, his performance after joining the LG Twins was not good. The day after the trade, he started the game against the Doosan Bears and became the winning pitcher with two hits in six innings, showing that his trade was successful, but he failed to display good pitching afterward. His second quality start was six hits and one run in seven innings at the game against Hanwha in Jamsil on September 24. His last regular season appearance was when he became a losing pitcher with five hits and two runs in four ⅔s at the game against Doosan in Jamsil on September 30. Since then, LG has confirmed its regular league title, and Choi Won-tae quickly started preparations for the Korean Series.
As foreign pitcher Adam Plutko has been unable to take the mound in the Korean Series due to a bruised pelvic bone, Choi Won-tae was selected as the second starter in the Korean Series. He prepared for more than a month, and took the mound in the second game, but failed to overcome the burden of losing the first game. Due to unstable ball control, he caught only one out count, gave two hits and four walks, and replaced him. The team was on the verge of defeat by allowing four runs in the early stages, but Park Dong-won, who took the mound after Choi Won-tae, was able to achieve a come-from-behind victory of 5-4 with his two-run shot.
Choi took the mound in the ninth inning in Game 4, but allowed one run with two walks and was still unstable. LG won the Korean Series title with four consecutive wins after one loss, but Choi’s poor performance was a lackluster part. 안전 토토사이트
Now is the salary negotiation season. Choi pitched in 26 games with nine wins, seven losses and an earned run average of 4.30. Since joining the LG Twins, he has played in nine games with three wins, three losses and an earned run average of 6.70. This year, Choi’s annual salary is 350 million won.
His overall performance is not very good, but it is not that bad. His performance at LG is definitely not as good as expected. However, performance alone does not determine an annual salary. Choi Won-tae completed seven years of registration as an FA until this season. If he finishes next year healthy, he will become an FA. His performance as an FA could change depending on his annual salary.
If Choi Won-tae performs well in the next season and becomes the key player to win the title for the second consecutive year, his ransom could go through the roof. If LG fails to catch him, the team that takes him will be able to tie up protective players depending on Choi Won-tae’s FA rating. Only 20 players can be grouped in grade A, and 25 players can be designated as protective players in grade B.