Did you say goodbye like this, it ended in revelation...Hanwha, which made Kang Baek-ho 10 billion won, also became uncomfortable for no reason

Nov 21, 2025

Did you say goodbye like this, it ended in revelation...Hanwha, which made Kang Baek-ho 10 billion won, also became uncomfortable for no reason
KT-Lotte match held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 27th. With one out in the top of the seventh inning, runners on second and third bases. Kang Baek-ho is happy after hitting an RBI timely hit. Busan = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.8.27/



I think there was a goodbye like this. Kang Baek-ho, who transferred to Hanwha Eagles as an FA, finally burst his disappointment with his original team KT Wiz. On a day that should have ended in celebration, he succeeded in a large contract and left a feeling of resentment on his own.

On the 20th, Kang Baek-ho completed a four-year FA contract with Hanwha for a total of 10 billion won. The guarantee amount is 8 billion won, including 5 billion won in down payment and 3 billion won in annual salary. The option is 2 billion won. Rather than the size of the option, it put more weight on protecting the pride of the league's top batters by signing a triple-digit contract.

Franchise stars are gradually disappearing in the KBO League. This is because there are few cases where they qualify as FA and remain in the original team. The bigger the fish, the more the team was moved. In the past, when a player who expected to be a franchise star left the team on better terms, he was angered by fans, but these days, more and more people take it calmly as a business even if they move.




However, Kang Baek-ho had a very short negotiation period with Hanwha. Hanwha had room for salary cap as An Chi-hong (Kium Heroes) and Lee Tae-yang (KIA Tigers), who had FA contracts left, left the team in the second draft on the 19th. As four players, including pitcher Bae Dong-hyun (Kium) and outfielder Lee Sang-hyuk (Doosan Bears), left the team, there was a justification and room to actively reinforce the players.

Hanwha General Manager Son Hyuk explained, `After the end of the second draft on the 19th, I met (Kang Baek-ho) and expressed my intention to recruit him, and the player visited the club's office on the afternoon of the 20th and completed the final coordination and contract.'

In other words, Kang Baek-ho decided to transfer immediately after one meeting on the evening of the 19th. Therefore, KT fans' response immediately after the announcement of the contract with Hanwha could not be favorable to Kang Baek-ho. In the first place, he deserved suspicion that he had no intention of staying at KT.




The KT club said it did its best to keep Kang Baek-ho. Before the FA season, he also offered a non-FA multi-year contract, but said he could not reach an agreement. Prior to Hanwha, KT actually put an offer on Kang Baek-ho. When an internal FA crackdown fails, it is common for the original team to disclose this process. I have to persuade the fans how I did my best. In any case, KT failed to reach an agreement because it failed to provide conditions suitable for Kang Baek-ho's eye level.

Kang Baek-ho's disappointment with the club explodes here. I never received a non-FA multi-year contract offer during this season, but it was unfair to spread it as an open fact. Kang Baek-ho was offered a multi-year contract not during the season, but before the season, and wanted to be evaluated again after watching this year's performance It was enough to explain it to that extent, but "I have never received an accurate offer of a multi-year contract". This is the main reason why it has spread to a battle of truth with KT.

Did you say goodbye like this, it ended in revelation...Hanwha, which made Kang Baek-ho 10 billion won, also became uncomfortable for no reason
KT-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 1st. Kang Baek-ho, who scored during Hwang Jae-kyun's timely hit with two outs and runners on the first and third bases in the top of the third inning, is welcomed. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.10.1/
Did you say goodbye like this, it ended in revelation...Hanwha, which made Kang Baek-ho 10 billion won, also became uncomfortable for no reason
KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 4th. Hanwha's new head coach Kim Kyung-moon is greeting KT Kang Baek-ho. Suwon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /
Kang Baek-ho was a unique case seeking to advance to the U.S. together. It was widely known that he would leave for the United States in November for a showcase. Therefore, other FA such as Park Chan-ho, Kim Hyun-soo, and Park Hae-min received attention first rather than Kang Baek-ho. KT was putting its feet on the battle to recruit Park Chan-ho, Park Hae-min and Kim Hyun-soo. Apart from entering the U.S., Kang Baek-ho thought he would lead the early market atmosphere, but he seemed to be embarrassed as it went unexpectedly. Kang Baek-ho chose to recruit an agent to speed up the negotiations because the negotiations were not proceeding as he wanted.

On the 20th, Kang Baek-ho wrote on his SNS, `My first choice was overseas, and if I stayed in Korea, I was going to stay with the original club. Without an agent, I was waiting with a heart to remain in the club without consulting with other clubs. (KT) did not come even though I asked for the first offer on the opening day, and the first offer was presented when the departure date was not far away. I thought so much while waiting for that offer. I started to wonder if they really needed me, and I also felt that my priorities were pushed a lot. In the meantime, Hanwha offered good conditions and I called KT to explain this situation until the end, but we heard the answer that it was not that bad. I think I felt a lot of disappointment when I heard that. The difference in amount was actually not an important issue and I decided it was right to go to the team that needed me" he said.

It is common for FA players to be offended by their original team during the negotiation process. The more loyal the team is, the more so it is. The key is money. If the disagreement is not narrowed, it leaves, and if one side makes concessions, it remains. The amount KT tried to spend on Kang Baek-ho fell short of Hanwha, and Hanwha was able to do it. That's why Kang chose Hanwha.

Just because you are offended during the negotiation process, not everyone chooses to expose like Kang Baek-ho. Even if you were disappointed, you solve it yourself with the club and finish it. There is very little to make public. If this happens, Hanwha, who takes him, is uncomfortable for no reason. In this sense, Kang Baek-ho's behavior was immature.

Kang Baek-ho now has to prove his value in Hanwha rather than saying many things. It's enough to make KT regret it by making a performance worth 10 billion won for four years. Both KT and Kang Baek-ho have no reason to mention each other anymore.

Hanwha, which finished second this year, is a team that desperately needed to strengthen its batting. Kang Baek-ho, who once dominated the league, needs a hit. Kang Baek-ho joined KT as the No. 1 overall pick in the second round in 2018 and recorded a career batting average of 0.303, 136 homers, 565 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.876 for eight seasons.

Director Son Hyuk said, `Kang Baek-ho will be able to achieve a daunting batting lineup if he sets up a batting lineup together with Roh Si-hwan, a left-handed slugger who has recently been rare in the league, Chae Eun-sung, who has excellent RBI production ability, and Moon Hyun-bin, who is growing batting ability.'

Did you say goodbye like this, it ended in revelation...Hanwha, which made Kang Baek-ho 10 billion won, also became uncomfortable for no reason
FA Kang Baek-ho signed a four-year total of 10 billion won contract with Hanwha Eagles on the 20th. Photo courtesy = Hanwha Eagles




This article was translated by Naver AI translator.