He forgot the nightmare of his first FA contract. He showed that such a contract is possible even at the age of 40.
SSG Landers signed an FA contract with pitcher Noh Kyung-eun on Tuesday. The contract is worth up to 2.5 billion won (2 million U.S. dollars) per year. The down payment is 300 million won, the total annual salary is 1.3 billion won, and the incentive is 900 million won depending on the option. The guarantee amount is 1.6 billion won.
It was a longer-than-expected negotiation. SSG had been proposing Noh's contract since the end of the season, but the last-minute coordination took longer than expected. Fortunately, however, Choi Jeong and Noh Kyung, who were internal free agents, all succeeded in staying after finishing their signing without passing November.
The total amount of 2.5 billion won may seem small in the recent FA market, which is overflowing with 6 billion won to 7 billion won. However, the amount is quite large considering the age of a player. Noh Kyung-eun, who was born in 1984, is 40 this year. Next year, she will be 41, and she is already in her twilight years as a pitcher.
However, it exceeded the total amount of Oh Seung-hwan of the Samsung Lions, who was a free agent last year. Oh signed a two-year free agent contract with Samsung for a total of 2.2 billion won ahead of the 2024 season. Of course, Oh has a full guarantee amount, and Noh Kyung-eun has a guaranteed amount of 1.6 billion won, but has signed a contract worth up to 2.5 billion won for up to three years, which is more than Oh in terms of contract amount and total amount.
It is a huge twist. Noh is called an icon of human victory as he overcame the crisis of retirement several times. There is a wide gap between his first free agent contract and this second free agent contract.
In 2018, when Noh was the first FA, he signed a contract with his then-team Lotte Giants for up to W1.1 billion for two years after almost a year of labor. The 2019 season effectively blew an entire season without his team.
And Noh Kyung-eun, who was released from Lotte after the 2021 season, once again suffered from retirement crisis and joined SSG. The recent three seasons since then have shown more than his prime, so a contract of this size was possible.
His 12th win in his first season, and his second and third seasons were 30 holds for two consecutive years, marking the first time in KBO history. He also became the oldest player in the league to hold a hold (38 holds) this year, securing a chance to sign a second free agent contract by himself.
The SSG has also decided to invest a lot because it is expected that Noh will be a key player for at least one to two years. It also means that he can be a model for younger players to thoroughly manage himself even at the age of 40. 먹튀검증
Noh Kyung-eun, who signed the contract, said, "I understand that the fans have been waiting a long time for the news of the contract. I would like to apologize to the fans who must have waited a long time during the negotiation period. And I am grateful to the team that allowed me to remain in the team on good terms, and I am happy to stay in the team with good memories as a player. I will prepare well for next season and always show good performance on the mound," he said.
KT Wiz's Woo Kyu-min, who became the first pitcher to sign a third free agent contract, and Noh Kyung-eun, who signed the biggest free agent contract over the age of 40. They are proving in person that even pitchers in their 40s can survive.