KIA has entered into contract extension 안전놀이터 discussions with transfer catcher Kim Tae-gun (34). A KIA official said on the 20th, “It’s a good situation if both the club and the player have good results. We only heard the player’s terms. The club has not proposed any terms.”
KIA acquired Kim Tae-gun in a trade on May 5. It was the culmination of a year-long catcher trade with Samsung that began last fall. The Han Seung-taek, Joo Hyo-sang, Shin Bum-soo offense had its limitations. There was a sense of urgency that the team would not be able to secure a top-five finish unless they added catcher production midseason.
The team acquired Kim Tae-gun the hard way by letting go of Ryu Ji-hyuk, but he is a preliminary free agent, just like Park Dong-won (LG) last year. For Kia, Park Dong-won is three letters full of disappointment. When they acquired him from Kiwoom in late April, they sent Kim Tae-jin, a second-round draft pick in the 2023 rookie draft (Kim Dong-heon), and 1 billion won in cash, but he only lasted one year.
KIA tried to negotiate a non-free agent multi-year contract with Park Dong-won at the end of the season, but failed. In the end, Park signed with LG, and in the meantime, his predecessor’s scandalous behavior came to light. Naturally, Kia has learned from the Park situation.
The plan seems to be to basically sign Kim Tae-gun while also pursuing a non-free agent multi-year deal if possible. The 2023-2024 catcher free agent market is unlikely to be as hot as the 2022-2023 market. However, the position itself is worth its weight in gold, so once Kim Tae-gun is on the market, he will likely be sought after by other teams. Kia’s push for a non-free agent multi-year deal is a strategic move that shows a firm intention to keep Kim for a long time and eliminates any chance of failure.
Kim Tae-gun himself publicly expressed his hope for a warm offseason in an interview with reporters on June 6. If KIA is being proactive, there is no reason not to sign him before he hits the free agent market. He’s been the backup to Yang Ji and Kang Min-ho for years. With KIA, he could be a solid starting catcher for the next four to five years. For Kim Tae-gun, going to KIA is a blessing in disguise.
He was born in Busan, but his personality is so good that he has already become best friends with the KIA players. As a ‘nuclear catcher’, he is transforming KIA on and off the field. His defense, blocking, and pitching lead are definitely different from previous KIA catchers. It’s only been a few games, but the effect of Kim Tae-gun has been tremendous. Both KIA and Kim have confirmed their need for each other.
On the same day, Shim Jae-hak boarded a plane to the U.S. along with the other club presidents. For now, negotiations will continue at the working level. Will KIA and Kim Tae-gun stay together for a long time, and will they sign the first non-free agent multi-year contract in the club’s history? The atmosphere is definitely different from a year ago.