“I’m just so grateful.”
Kiwoom Heroes infielder Lee Won-seok (37) became the first player in the Heroes organization to sign a multi-year contract on April 28. The contract is a 2+1 year deal, with two guaranteed years from 2024 to 2025 and an automatic one-year extension to 2026 if the option is fulfilled. The contract is worth 400 million won in salary for the first year and 300 million won for each subsequent year, up to a maximum of 1 billion won.
“I heard about the multi-year contract the evening before the announcement, and it happened immediately,” Lee told reporters before the start of the 29th game against the KIA Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field. “My first thought was to be so grateful. I was most grateful that they made such a decision during the season,” he smiled.
The happiest people were his family. “My wife told me to sign the contract as soon as possible,” Lee said. My family was really happy and congratulated me,” he said.
“Because of my age, I’ve been playing with the idea that one year, one year is my last. However, after signing a multi-year contract, I felt most relieved,” he said. Born in 1986, Lee, 37, will be eligible for free agency after next season, but he said he hasn’t considered it.
“There was no guarantee that I would be able to play until next year, so I didn’t think about applying for free agency. I wanted to play for one more year. During the season, veterans like me don’t have many days left to play baseball, so one year is really precious. But I’m grateful that the club signed me.”
Lee will be 40 years old when he completes his contract. He said, “I think playing for a long time is the biggest blessing. I have a 2+1 year contract, and I will try to fulfill the option year. Actually, I’ve been thinking about retirement for two or three years now. I hadn’t decided when, but I knew that when I was no longer competitive, I would have to stop without regret. In the future, I will try my best to compete with my juniors and not lose,” he said.카지노
Lee made his professional debut with the Lotte Giants in 2005 after graduating from Gwangju Dongseong High School, then played for Doosan Bears and Samsung before joining the Kiwoom Heroes via trade in April. In his 18-year professional career, Lee has been a free agent twice, a compensatory transfer once, and a trade once. Now, he’s a player who’s experienced multi-year contracts. “I think I’ve done everything I can do as a player,” Lee laughed.
Lee Won-seok joined Kiwoom from the Samsung Lions via trade in late April. He’s been with Kiwoom for over two months now, and the vibe he’s noticed is one of “unafraid to fail. “There are a lot of young players, and I felt like they weren’t afraid of failure. Any player can make mistakes and hit badly, but there is no pressure on them at all, so I think the younger players play more boldly and daringly.”
Finally, Lee Won-seok said, “Winning a championship ring is a natural goal as a player. All of our players are longing for it. Now that we’re past the midway point of the season, I think if we play well in the future, good results will follow.”