In difficulty Are Park Chanho, Han Seungtaek, And Choi Hyeongwoo. Will This Hurt KIA’s FA Team’s Remaining Lineup? The 2021 Doosan Bears Tragedy.

Has the front house rabbit sent an irregular signal? Doosan Bears players Heo Kyung-min, Jeong Su-bin, Kim Jae-ho, Choi Joo-hwan, Yoo Hee-kwan, Lee Yong-chan, and Oh Jae-il were eligible for 2020-2021 free agency. Doosan kept Heo Kyung-min, Jeong Su-bin, Kim Jae-ho, and Yoo Hee-kwan, but traded Choi Joo-hwan, Lee Yong-chan, and Oh Jae-il to the SSG Landers, NC Dinos, and Samsung Lions. If three internal free agents each transfer to other teams, it’s understandable to be criticized as a failure to control the domestic rabbits. However, the industry’s assessment at the time was closer to “preventing the damage” for Doosan, despite the damage. Realistically, team officials say that if seven internal free agents were to be signed, it would be extremely difficult for the team to negotiate smoothly with all seven players simultaneously. Money isn’t the issue.A club can meet with seven free agents simultaneously. However, ultimately, the team manager or a prominent figure in the free agent management team must be present for crucial discussions, such as the proposal and negotiation of a fee. However, there’s no reason for six or seven free agents to take turns drawing numbers and waiting for their turn to negotiate, all for the sake of the club.

Why am I bringing up Doosan now, five years later? It’s because, as GM Shim Jae-hak and the KIA Tigers navigate the 2025-2026 free agent market, it’s a real challenge to control the domestic market. KIA produced six players in this free agent market (Choi Hyung-woo, Park Chan-ho, Yang Hyeon-jong, Cho Sang-woo, Lee Jun-young, and Han Seung-taek).

KIA has already traded Park Chan-ho and Han Seung-taek to the Doosan Bears and KT Wiz, respectively. While Park Chan-ho is the most important player, KIA had no choice but to consider negotiations with the remaining five players. The nine other teams, excluding the Kiwoom Heroes, must use the special budget allocated by their parent company to explore the free agent market. KIA was forced to offer more than the 8 billion won Doosan had offered for Park Chan-ho. Kang Baek-ho, another top free agent, was also discussed, but it proved difficult to actually make a move.

In this situation, Han Seung-taek, a C-level player, was snatched away. At 31, Han Seung-taek is still young. KIA has solidified its home defense with Kim Tae-gun and Han Jun-su, so he hasn’t had a chance to play in the first team recently. Han Seung-taek was KIA’s best catcher, possessing a strong arm, and was a regular in the first team when a third catcher was needed. He was also on the 2024 Korean Series roster. KT, seeing Han Seung-taek as a valuable asset, signed him early on.

However, it’s true that Han Seung-taek suffered less damage to KIA than the other five players. They need to develop Han Jun-su more, and Joo Hyo-sang emerged from injury and was promoted to the first team late in the season. Had Han Seung-taek remained with KIA, it wouldn’t have been easy to secure a first-team opportunity. Had he not declared free agency, he could have gone to another team in the second round of the draft. Catchers are difficult to develop, so a player with a certain level of experience, arm strength, and defensive prowess is more likely to be valued than other positions.

Now, KIA focuses on Choi Hyung-woo, Yang Hyeon-jong, Cho Sang-woo, and Lee Jun-young. However, rumors continue to circulate that Choi Hyung-woo, a C-level player like Han Seung-taek, is in demand in the market. Although 42 years old, he’s one of the league’s best hitting technicians. A team aiming for a Korean Series title within the next year or two and willing to provide a permanent designated hitter would be well-served to acquire him.