Doosan Bears re-sign free agent infielder Yang Suk-hwan on big four-plus-two deal

Baseball

Published: 30 Nov. 2023, 13:20 Updated: 30 Nov. 2023, 16:57

Doosan Bears re-sign free agent infielder Yang Suk-hwan on big four-plus-two deal

Doosan Bears' Yang Suk-hwan, right, takes a photo with general manager Kim Tae-ryong after signing a contract to remain with the team at the Doosan Bears' office at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on Thursay. [DOOSAN BEARS]

Free agent veteran hitter Yang Suk-hwan has re-signed with the Doosan Bears on a four-plus-two deal worth up to 7.8 billion won ($6 million), locking in the most lucrative FA contract so far this year.

Yang’s first four-year contract is worth up to 6.5 billion won ($5 million) with 3.9 billion won in guaranteed salary, a 2-billion-won signing bonus and up to 600 million won in incentives, the Bears announced on Thursday.

The second contract is worth 1.3 billion won ($1 million) and would take effect should Yang and the Bears agree to honor it.

The 32-year-old player was one of three free agents in group “A” of this year’s market — the highest-ranked category for players who meet the criteria of being in the top three in their club and top 30 in the KBO by salary.

With nearly a decade in the KBO, Yang has a career batting average of .265 with 122 home runs and 499 RBIs across eight years in the league.

Yang joined the Bears in 2021 through a trade after a five-season stint with rival Seoul club LG Twins where the infielder made his KBO debut in 2015. He earned a .260 batting average, eight home runs and 48 RBIs that year.

Over the past three seasons with the Bears, Yang has picked up a .266 batting average with 69 home runs and 236 RBIs. He’s also seen the Bears play in one Korean Series, in 2020, which the Seoul team lost 4-0 to KT Wiz after qualifying as a wild card and defeating Jamsil rivals LG in the semifinals.

"Yang Suk-hwan is an essential player in the batting lineup, having recorded 20 home runs for three consecutive years while using Jamsil Stadium as his home," a Doosan Bears official said, according to SpoTV News. "We are looking forward to his role as a leader in the dugout as well as on the field."

A total of 19 KBO players are in the free agent market this year. Along with Yang, pitchers Ju Kwon of the KT Wiz and Hong Geun-hui, a fellow Bears player, fall into the top tier A category. Neither Ju nor Hong had signed deals as of press time Thursday.

In 2023, Yang claimed his highest-ever batting average with the Bears, a .281, and picked up 21 home runs and 89 RBIs, putting him up for a KBO Golden Glove first baseman nomination. Winners are set to be announced on Dec. 11.

“My baseball life began again when I joined the Doosan Bears through a trade. I wanted to remain with the team ever since I exercised my free agency qualifications. I am grateful to owner Park Jeong-won for signing me with good conditions,” Yang said on Thursday, according to SpoTV. "I think the free agency contract is not the end, but the beginning. I will take the lead in continuing the Doosan Bears' unique culture as a central hitter and good senior with a sense of responsibility."

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]