'Only 6 Grade-A Players': Free Agency Floodgates Open... A Cutthroat 'Money War' Begins on the 17th

[Financial News] Before the excitement of autumn baseball had even died down, the professional baseball hot stove league—which will reshape next season—has officially begun.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Secretariat officially announced on the 13th a list of 28 players eligible for free agency (FA) in 2027. The deadline to apply for approval to exercise FA rights, the hot stove league’s biggest point of interest, is the 15th, and a cutthroat race to sign players is expected to begin among all clubs on the 17th.
Of the 28 players eligible for FA announced by KBO, six are Grade A, considered top-tier free agents; 14 are Grade B, and eight are Grade C. By eligibility status, 15 are first-time eligibles this year, while six have regained eligibility. Another seven had previously qualified but retained their eligibility without exercising their rights.
kt wiz and SSG Landers have the most FA-eligible players, with six each. However, excluding players such as SSG player-coach Kim Sung-hyun and Hanwha Eagles player-coach Lee Jae-won, who have announced they will retire at the end of this season, the number of players who actually enter the FA market is expected to be somewhat lower than 28.
KBO also released a list of nine 'FA-eligible players with deferred status' who qualified through multi-year contracts or exercised options but still have time remaining on their contracts. Their applications for approval to exercise FA rights will be deferred until the year their contracts expire.




Players who qualify for FA must apply to KBO for approval to exercise their rights by the 15th, within two days of the announcement. KBO will announce the final list of approved free agents on the 16th, and from the 17th they can negotiate freely, without restrictions, with any club, including overseas clubs.
The compensation rules, a key factor in the movement of players between clubs, are also expected to spark intense strategic maneuvering. A club signing a Grade A player from another club must give the player's former club 200% of the player's salary for this year and one player outside its 20-player protected list, or pay 300% of the salary without providing a compensation player. For a Grade B player, the compensation is 100% of the salary and one player outside the 25-player protected list (or 200% of the salary). For a Grade C player, the former club receives 150% of the salary, with no compensation player.
Meanwhile, the number of free agents each club can sign from outside the organization in this market depends on the final number of players approved to exercise their rights. If between 11 and 20 players are approved as free agents, each club may sign up to two from other clubs; if the number exceeds 21, the limit rises to a maximum of three.


[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter