[스포츠춘추]
What free agent pitcher Lee Tae-yang chose was not money, but love and pride. Even though there was a possibility of receiving better conditions, Lee Taeyang only had Hanwha in his eyes.
On November 23, Hanwha officially announced the signing of a free agent contract with Lee Tae-yang for a total of 2.5 billion won (800 million won down payment, 1.7 billion won annual salary) for 4 years.
Lee Tae-yang joined Hanwha in 2010 and debuted in the first team in 2012, and played an active role going back and forth between selection and bullpen. Wearing the SSG Landers uniform in a trade with outfielder Noh Soo-gwang in the 2020 season, Lee Taeyang played a big role in the 2022 season selection and bullpen, contributing greatly to the team’s wire-to-wire regular season victory.
After the end of the 2022 season, Lee Taeyang, who obtained his first FA qualification, was evaluated as an attractive sale, citing the fact that there was no compensation player as a’C grade’.
After receiving a lower-than-expected offer from his original team, SSG, due to a salary cap issue, Lee Tae-yang eventually decided to return to his hometown and hometown, Hanwha after contemplating love calls from multiple clubs. With the recruitment of Lee Tae-yang, a native selection resource, Hanwha has gained more flexibility in the direction of reinforcement during the off-season.
As a result of the coverage of Sports Chunchu, it was confirmed that a local club had prepared conditions for Lee Tae-yang in a total amount of 3 billion won. It was a larger amount than the terms of the contract proposed by the Hanwha club. If Lee Tae-yang took more negotiation time and the competition heated up, there was a high possibility that he would be offered a higher price.
However, rather than simply thinking about the financial aspect first, Lee Tae-yang had a stronger desire to return to his team and play as a player who was familiar with his family living in Daejeon.
As Lee Tae-yang’s will to return to his parents’ house was so strong, the conclusion came as the negotiation situation progressed faster than expected. There was no time-consuming strategy to use the proposals of other clubs in negotiations with the home team. Even Hanwha, whose FA market strategy changed due to sudden variables, could not afford to waste time. Lee Tae-yang was only looking at Hanwha, so his return to his parent’s home was accomplished dramatically.