“Thank you for saying ‘Jeon Jun-woo is a Lotte man’.”
He wiped away his regrets. He has become a perfect one-club man without even going overseas.
Free agent Jeon Jun-woo agreed to stay with Lotte for a maximum of 4.7 billion won (4 billion guaranteed and 700 million won in incentives) for four years. He joined the team in 2008 after graduating from Konkuk University and will now have spent 20 years as a player with Lotte.
Lotte’s announcement, which would normally have read “FA Jun-woo Jeon signs x-year contract,” was different. The official press release was titled “Jun-woo Jeon remains a Lotte Giants one-club man. The 1986-born hitter signed a four-year contract with two years of coach training. There was a sense of determination and relief that the club was not repeating the cases of Hwang Jae-gyun (KT Wiz), Kang Min-ho (Samsung Lions), and Son Ah-seop (NC Dinos).
Jun-woo Jeon wasn’t without a bit of trepidation.
He’d been on the other side of the table before. He told Sports Chosun, “I had a lot of thoughts that I might leave as well. Especially when Son Ah-seop (NC Dinos) left, I was very surprised and felt a lot of regret.” There were offers from other teams with different total sums.
However, Jeon says, “Lotte cared about me as much as any other team (this time). The fans also wanted me, so it wasn’t a difficult decision,” he emphasized. Jun-woo’s mind was made up, and the club didn’t let him down.
Of course, his age didn’t stop him from getting the job. Over the course of four years, 바카라사이트 he averaged a .301 batting average, 61 home runs, 646 hits, 333 RBIs, and an OPS of .839. He was the team’s No. 1 hitter, with the exception of Lee Dae-ho, who retired last year, without any cumulative or ratio stats.
Looking back at four years ago, Jeon has every reason to be upset.
In 2019, before his first free agency, he performed well. He batted 3-for-1 with 22 home runs and an OPS of .839. His WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 4.24 was sixth among all outfielders in the league, with only Lee Jung-hoo and Park Geon-woo ranking higher.
However, with the change in ballpark, attention turned to his performance, which was down from 2018 (3-for-42, 33 home runs, 0.991 OPS). His age was not looked upon favorably, and outside offers were few and far between.
The attitude of the clubs was not warm. An outside free agent, Ahn Chi-hong (4 years, up to 5.6 billion won), was signed before Jeon Jun-woo. Jun-woo barely put pen to paper on Jan. 8, a year after he battled the measles, ditching his agent and sitting at the negotiating table himself.
Up to 3.4 billion won (3.2 billion guaranteed, 200 million in incentives) for four years. In the subsequent free agency frenzy, which saw 10 billion won contracts, Jeon became synonymous with “undervalued” and “breakout free agent.
But this time was different. The club’s attitude has changed, and Jun-woo has responded. He agreed to contribute 100 million won to the construction of a new stadium if the incentive is achieved in 2027. It’s a unique gesture that reflects Jun-woo’s commitment to Lotte.
He has served as captain and has been a leader of the team. 토토사이트 It’s a big responsibility. “I feel like I’m destined to be a part of the Lotte team. I want to win the Korean Series with coach Kim Tae-hyung,” he emphasized.
