[Reporter’s Notebook] The Warning Left by a Distorted Contract

Kim Jae-hwan, the cleanup hitter and once a symbol of the Doosan Bears dynasty, is leaving the team. Officially, it is a 'release.' However, this is not the typical notification of being excluded from the team’s plans. Instead, it is the result of a 'poison pill' clause embedded in his free agent contract four years ago. This incident is not just a simple news item about a veteran slugger entering the market. To put it bluntly, it is the 'legalization of a loophole' that undermines the very foundation of the KBO League’s Free Agent System (FA System) and opens Pandora’s box for the league’s order. Had this been a standard free agent application, he would have been classified as a B-grade player, requiring his new team to provide one compensation player and a monetary payment. However, the clause stating 'release without compensation in case of failed priority negotiations' has made him a 'completely free agent' with no compensation barrier.
The bigger issue is the ripple effect if this becomes a 'successful precedent.' Consider players like Won Tae-in, Koo Ja-wook, and Park Dong-won, who are expected to command contracts worth over 10 billion KRW starting next year. What if they demand 'unconditional release upon failed priority negotiations' using this case as a reference? How will clubs respond? If this clause becomes customary, the KBO League’s hard-won FA System will become virtually meaningless. Wealthy clubs could monopolize star players, returning the league to a primitive era of 'survival of the fittest.'
Recently, the baseball world has been embroiled in controversies over the monopoly of certain sports agencies and inflated player values. But let’s be honest: who empowered these 'super agents' and agreed to such distorted contract terms? It was the clubs themselves. While clubs criticize the excesses of major agents, behind the scenes they play a game of chicken, accepting unreasonable demands for the sake of their own team’s performance. Yet, when the season ends, they contradict themselves by blaming the overheated market. Investment is welcome, but practices that undermine the league’s system should not be disguised as 'investment.'
For now, the Korea Baseball Organization must step in regarding this situation. While the principle of free agency should be respected, reform becomes necessary when that freedom threatens the institutional foundation of the league. More importantly, clubs need to change their mindset. This is not a call for collusion, but there must be a 'rational consensus' not to cross the line that destroys league order. The 2025 Hot Stove League poses a serious question to all KBO League stakeholders: Will they uphold principles and coexist, or will they each fend for themselves in chaos, risking mutual destruction? It is time to heed the sobering warning left by the distorted contract of 'conditional release.'
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il, Culture & Sports Desk Reporter