“Boss, you said you’d give us all the money, right?” Won Tae-in and Koo Ja-wook celebrate V9, then make “surprise remarks” about Rolexes and playing overseas

[Financial News] “Before the season started, the boss told us, ‘Just win the championship, and I’ll make sure you get all the money.’ Now that we’ve delivered the title as promised, won’t he come back with a good contract?”
Won Tae-in (26) and Koo Ja-wook (33), the key figures on the mound and at the plate who helped the Samsung Lions win their ninth Korean Series title overall (V9), their first in 12 years, made playful bombshell remarks about the upcoming free-agent (FA) market and pursuing opportunities overseas.
On the 8th, Samsung routed kt wiz 12-1 in Game 5 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO postseason Korean Series (KS) at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, reclaiming the title with a 4-1 series record. Captain Koo Ja-wook was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) after hitting .500 (10-for-20) with six RBIs over the series, while Won Tae-in earned the win after taking on the crucial role of starting pitcher in Game 5 and allowing one run over five innings. They were undoubtedly the team’s biggest contributors to the championship.

The two players, who will both become eligible for free agency after this season, candidly shared their thoughts about their futures in an interview after the championship was clinched, doing so with their trademark banter.
Won Tae-in was the first to take the microphone, reminding everyone of a promise made by Yoo Jeong-geun, the club’s acting owner (president).
“I firmly believe in the president’s promise,” he said with a laugh. “Whenever Kang Min-ho was a free agent, I kept asking them to raise his contract value. Now it’s Min-ho’s turn to go to bat for me and Ja-wook.”
Koo Ja-wook, whose five-year, 12-billion-won non-FA multi-year contract is coming to an end, chimed in.
“I don’t have an agent, so I’ll have to negotiate on my own, but they said all I had to do was win the championship, so I’ll wait and see,” Koo Ja-wook said. “I heard that after winning the combined title in 2023, the LG Twins gave their Korean Series MVP (Oh Ji-hwan) a Rolex watch worth 200 million won. I have no doubt our Samsung club will take the very best care of me.” He jokingly turned up the pressure on the club (?).


The next remarks were the ones that took fans by surprise.
Won Tae-in, who had previously been cautious, said, “I’ve actually already hired an agent to pursue opportunities overseas. I was worried public opinion might turn against me, so I quietly poured everything into the postseason.” He made the possibility of a move overseas official.
Not to be outdone, Koo Ja-wook added a bombshell of his own: “If there are any officials from overseas teams watching this broadcast, please get in touch. I sincerely want to try my hand in the U.S.” His remarks filled the venue with laughter.
Behind the lighthearted jokes was a fierce, hard-fought spirit in pursuit of the championship. After an exhausting stretch alternating between the bullpen and the starting rotation, Won Tae-in took the mound in Game 5 after just three days of rest. “It felt like I was throwing with sandbags strapped to my arm, but when Kang Min-ho told me, ‘Just look at the mitt and throw,’ I gritted my teeth and hung in there,” he confessed.
The “blue-blooded duo” had finally recreated the glory of 12 years ago. The pair’s playful FA contract demands and bombshell remarks about pursuing opportunities overseas have already heated up the Lions’ hot stove season ahead of the 2026 campaign.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter