Roh Si-hwan of pro baseball team Hanwha Eagles explained why he included a condition allowing posting to Major League Baseball in his contract extension.
Selected as a member of Korea's national team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Roh Si-hwan started at first base batting seventh in a practice game against Hanwha Eagles held March 23 at Kadena in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, and went 1 for 2 with a home run, two RBIs, one run scored and two walks.
Roh Si-hwan announced prior to the game that he had agreed to an 11-year deal worth up to 30.7 billion won with his club Hanwha. Hanwha said the contract terms are for 11 seasons from the 2027 season through the 2037 season, including options, with aggregates of 30.7 billion won, and that this is the longest and largest contract in KBO League history across both free-agent contracts and non-free-agent multi-year deals.
Hanwha Director General Son Hyuk said in an interview that day, "I found it really difficult to develop a player at one position. If (Si-hwan) becomes a free agent, there is no guarantee we can keep him," and added, "Of course, 30.7 billion won is a lot of money. But if (Si-hwan) hits 40 home runs this year, on a four-year contract basis we might end up paying far more. A-grade players who are targets for each team still command around 300 million won a year. We made the decision after calculating those factors," explaining why they decided on the 11-year contract.
The contract includes a condition allowing posting to Major League Baseball after the 2026 season. If Roh Si-hwan advances to Major League Baseball through posting after the season, the 11-year, 30.7 billion won contract will be automatically terminated.
Saying, "I also have a dream of playing in the major leagues," Roh Si-hwan said, "It seems the club considered giving me motivation. They provided an opportunity to challenge myself, so I agreed to the contract."
Director General Son Hyuk said, "Allowing posting definitely provides motivation. Players who dream of the major leagues," and added, "I have thought about that too. When (Ryu) Hyun-jin pitched in the major leagues, many fans went wearing Hanwha uniforms. If our player plays in the major leagues, it gives fans a sense of pride. Also, Hanwha Group and our team members feel pride when they see that, so we considered that as well," he explained.
If a player goes to the major leagues through posting, upon returning to Korea they must play four more years with their original team to gain free-agent eligibility. Director General Son Hyuk said, "A player of Si-hwan's caliber will think about the major leagues. He's not young. There will be plenty to learn by going to the major leagues. I would prefer Si-hwan stay and hit 30 home runs every year for 10 years, but if he has that dream, it's necessary to give him the opportunity to challenge it. Also, if he goes to the major leagues and comes back, he will return to our team. That's why we allowed posting," he said.
[OSEN]