The San Diego club said on the 4th (Korea Standard Time), “AJ Preller, president of baseball operations, announced the fact that he signed a two-year contract with right-handed relief pitcher Ko Woo-suk.” The club did not disclose the specific annual salary, but local media such as MLB.COM said, “Go Woo-seok’s contract with San Diego is two years, and the total annual salary is $4.5 million (about 5.9 billion won).”

If the total contract amount is confirmed at 4.5 million dollars, San Diego will pay 900,000 dollars, or 20 percent of the total amount, to LG, the original team of Ko Woo-suk, as compensation under the Korea-U.S. player contract agreement.

After leading LG to the 2023 season, Ko expressed his will to enter the MLB through posting system (closed competitive bidding). The LG Twins also allowed him to enter the U.S. market by respecting Ko’s will regardless of contract terms and amount of compensation.

The posting negotiation deadline was scheduled to expire at 7 a.m. on the 4th in Korean time, but the U.S. media reported that Ko Woo-suk and San Diego dramatically agreed to a contract on the 3rd, just a day before. 안전놀이터 추천

Ko is expected to compete for the closing position in the San Diego Padres. Left-hander Josh Hader, who finished the last season, left-hander left the team after becoming a free agent. To fill the gap, the San Diego Padres signed a five-year, 28 million-dollar contract with Yuki Matsui, who boasts 236 saves in the Japanese professional baseball league, to fill the gap.

Local media predicted that Ko Woo-suk, Matsui, and right-hander Roberto Suarez would compete for San Diego’s new closing position.

“Ko Woo-seok, a 25-year-old from Incheon, Korea, ranked first in the KBO League with 42 saves in 2022 and recorded 139 saves in total from 2019 to 2023, the most during the same period,” the San Diego club said. “He was the last pitcher to decide LG’s Korean Series victory, but he did not take the mound (due to injury) in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.”

In 354 games (368 ⅓), Ko had 19 wins and 26 losses, 139 saves, 3.18 ERA) and 401 strikeouts. He gave up 163 walks and his WHIP was 1.27.

MLB.COM said, “While Ko Woo-seok threw 368 ⅓ innings, he struck out 401,” adding, “He shows stable control by mixing fast balls with an average speed of 153 kilometers per hour and a maximum speed of 158 kilometers per hour with various breaking balls.” In particular, it noted that he was strong with a batting average of .179 (.286 against right-handed hitters). He also introduced that “San Diego was interested in recruiting, but he had a ‘brother-in-law’ relationship with Lee Jung-hoo, who joined the San Francisco Giants for $113 million for six years.”

After signing the contract, Ko expressed his feelings through the LG Twins. “I want to say thank you to the LG Twins for opening up the opportunity to have a great experience in the Major League. And thank you to the San Diego Padres for allowing me to start a new challenge,” he said. “I’m starting again with a new mind in a new place. I’ll make sure that I can become a player who doesn’t go against everyone’s expectations in a good way.”

“Congratulations. Ko is one of the best closing pitchers in the KBO League, and I think he is competitive enough in the Major League and will adapt well,” LG Twins general manager Cha Myung-seok said. “I hope he will perform well as a representative Major League player in our country.”