It's not 3 years and 2 billion...Doosan's first player option was abruptly abandoned, and what happened to his dream of becoming a 'lifetime Bearsman'
It's not 3 years and 2 billion...Doosan's first player option was abruptly abandoned, and what happened to his dream of becoming a 'lifetime Bearsman'
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Huh Kyung-min (34), the first player of the Doosan Bears team to come to the market after giving up his first player option. However, he has not given up on his dream of becoming a full-fledged Bears Man. He can continue his career with Doosan through free agency negotiations rather than player options.메이저놀이터
Huh Kyung-min, Doosan's main third baseman, was listed on the list of 20 free agent (FA) approved players in 2025 announced by the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization) on the 5th. He decided to give up his three-year, 2 billion won player option and exercise his second FA right after his debut to be valued in the free agent market.
Huh Kyung-min signed his first career FA contract with his original team Doosan on December 10, 2020. The condition is 4+3 years, with a total of 6.5 billion won, including a down payment of 2.5 billion won and an annual salary of 4 billion won, and four years later, Doosan's first player option clause of 3 years and 2 billion won was added.
Heo Kyung-min has made a milestone in the history of Doosan and KBO as of then. He broke the record of Doosan's FA contract exceeding Jang Won-jun's four-year and 8.4 billion won (8.3 million U.S. dollars) in 2014, and became the longest FA contractor, exceeding six years for Jung Soo-geun (Lotte Giants) in 2004 and Choi Jeong (SK Wyverns) in 2018.
During the four years since signing the contract as a free agent, Heo has a batting average of 286 (4,99 hits in 1,746) in 502 games, 27 homers, 228 RBIs, 29 steals, and 233 runs scored. He added a slugging percentage of .391 and an on-base percentage of .352, showing an OPS of .743. In the first year of his contract, he contributed greatly to his journey to the mirror-like game from the wild card game to the Korean Series, and led his team to return to the autumn stage for the first time in two years along with Lee Seung-yeop, who took the helm for the 2023 season.
In the final year of his four-year FA contract, Huh Kyung-min recorded a batting average of 399 runs, 129 hits, seven homers, 61 RBIs, five steals, 69 runs, and OPS.811. Despite various injury factors such as fine damage to the right shoulder and a dislocation of the little finger, he played 477 at-bats in offense and 883 innings in defense, showing the best performance among the four years of his FA contract.
Four years have passed and Heo Kyung-min is facing a moment of choice again. The key was whether to exercise player options or not.
After his four-year contract ended, Heo signed a contract in which the player, not the club, took the initiative in renewing the contract. The contract was based on the conditions that the player could receive an additional 2 billion won (approx. If he wants to stay at Doosan, he could declare an FA and be valued again in the market if he wants a higher amount. And Heo chose the latter after a long hiatus.
According to a Doosan official, Heo Kyung-min did not implement player options and did not have any specific conversations with the club in the process of coming to the market. The FA qualification application meant giving up player options.
Heo Kyung-min, who was drafted seventh in the second round of the Doosan Bears' rookie draft in 2009, is more affectionate and loyal to the Bears than anyone else. "I was so grateful for the seven-year period than the amount. I will cherish the hearts of Doosan fans who wanted me to stay for seven years," he said at the time of his first FA contract.
In addition, Heo has been trusted by his teammates and the coaching staff for more than a decade since 2012 when he made his debut in the top-tier professional league with his unique sincerity and thorough self-management. While playing the role of captain, he also received a passing score in his leadership role.
Huh Kyung-min's abandonment of player options does not mean that Doosan will remain. There is a way to sign an FA contract with Doosan again and declare himself a lifetime Bears Man on better terms than 3 years and 2 billion won. It seems that Huh Kyung-min also exercised his FA status with this in mind.
After confirming the list of FA-approved players, Doosan is establishing a new negotiation plan for Heo Kyung-min, who has become a "FA home rabbit." "When the market opens in earnest, we will set up a negotiation table and listen to Heo Kyung-min's position. We will proceed with negotiations well to ensure that he remains as a player," a Doosan official told OSEN on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, 2025 FA-approved players announced on the 5th can sign contracts with all clubs, including overseas clubs, from the 6th. In addition, a total of 20 players are disclosed as FA-approved players, and up to two of the FA-approved players from other clubs can sign contracts under Article 173 [restrictions on FA acquisition].