Kim Sun-bin (34) has agreed to stay with the Kia Tigers next year.
Kia announced on Thursday that it has signed Kim for a three-year contract with a signing bonus of 600 million won, a three-year total salary of 1.8 billion won, and an option for 600 million won, for a total of 3 billion won.
This is Kim’s second free agent contract after signing a four-year, 4 billion won contract with Kia in 2020 for a total of 4 billion won, including a 1.6 billion won signing bonus.
Kim joined Kia in 2008 and has been a one-club man ever since.
In 15 seasons in the KBO, he has appeared in 1509 games, batting .303 with 1506 hits, 564 RBIs, 691 runs scored, and 149 stolen bases.
Last season, he batted .320 with 134 hits, 48 RBIs, and 41 runs scored.
He has also shown great leadership, serving as a captain for the last two years.
AdvertisementKim Sun-bin said, “Above all, I wanted to stay with KIA.
I am grateful to the club for offering me such a good deal,” said Kim. ” 온라인카지노
I will continue to work hard before the season and help the team become a consistent powerhouse.
Although I gave up the captaincy, I will take responsibility as a senior player and do my best to help the team stand at the top of fall baseball.”
Samsung’s partnership with longevity outsider appears to be over
The Samsung Lions’ pursuit of foreign pitcher David Buchanan may be coming to an end.
A Samsung team official said on the 3rd, “It’s not completely finalized, but it’s true that it’s difficult to sign Buchanan. The club has made its best offer, but the terms are not in agreement with the player’s side.” “There is a limit to the terms we can offer due to the foreign salary cap. Unless something happens, it will be difficult to re-sign him.”
Buchanan has worn a Samsung uniform since 2020. In his first season in the KBO, he went 15-7 with a 3.45 ERA in 27 games and 174⅔ innings. In 2021, he went 16-5 with a 3.10 ERA in 30 games and 177 innings pitched. Tied for the league lead in wins. In 2022, he went 11-8 with a 3.04 ERA in 26 games and 160 innings pitched.
He was just as strong in 2023. In 30 games and 188 innings, he went 12-8 with a 2.54 ERA. He ranked third in the league in ERA, tied for fifth in wins, second in innings pitched, and tied for second in quality starts (six or more innings pitched and three or fewer earned runs allowed) with 21. He also had a great work ethic. He was a great atmosphere maker and helped boost team morale.
Samsung was ready to re-sign him after the season. A difference of opinion arose with Buchanan’s camp. We negotiated a two-year deal, accepting Buchanan’s request for a multi-year contract and offering him a two-year deal. It also included the highest amount of money for a foreigner. However, the total amount could not be increased indefinitely. The KBO introduced a foreign salary cap system in 2023. The maximum total amount that could be spent on three foreigners was limited to $4 million per year. The salary for re-signed foreigners is increased by $100,000 per year depending on the number of years of service.
The total amount Samsung can invest in three outfielders for the 2024 season is $4.4 million. Samsung used $2 million to sign new outfielder Connor Seabold and new outfielder David McKinnon for $1 million each. They could arithmetically give Buchanan up to $2.4 million. A two-year deal would give him $2.4 million this year plus $2.5 million next year for a total of $4.9 million.
But the risk was high. Throwing money at Buchanan without any salary cap space would have disrupted next year’s roster. Even if Seabold and McKinnon do well this year, they’ll be limited in how much they can raise their salaries. It would be virtually impossible to re-sign them next season. If they want to pay Buchanan more than $4.9 million over two years, they’ll have to find at least one outside hitter for $1 million or less next season. This is why they can’t realistically bet the farm on Buchanan.
While negotiating to re-sign Buchanan, the team has been preparing a Plan B and Plan C in case something goes wrong. The odds of signing a new pitcher are even higher.
If Buchanan is not re-signed, the two outfield spots for 2024 will be filled with new faces. Albert Suarez, who was with the team from 2022-2023, was lost to injury midway through last season. Taylor Widener, who was signed as a replacement, did not meet expectations and was placed on the disabled list.
The new pitcher, Seabold, was an active major leaguer. Born in 1996, he is an American right-hander. He started his professional career after being selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2021 with the Boston Red Sox. In 2023, he appeared in 27 games (13 starts) and 87⅓ innings for the Colorado Rockies, posting a 1-7 record with a 7.52 ERA and 1.65 WHIP. At Triple-A, he was 13-7 with a 4.13 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.
Samsung says of Seabold, “He has a strong fastball that averages around 100 mph and a complete arsenal of pitches, including a changeup and slider. He has good command of the left and right sides of the strike zone.” “We expect him to be an integral part of the Samsung starting rotation in 2024 with his strong command of his pitches and stable control.”
The homegrown starters are led by ace Won Tae-in. He will be auditioning for the two fourth and fifth spots.
Seoul SK defeated Busan KCC 77-74 on Wednesday in the regular season finale of the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball Association at Sajik Indoor Stadium in Busan. It was the first nine-game winning streak for any club in the 2023-2024 season. It solidified second place with a 19-8 record. One game behind third-place Suwon KT (18-9).
SK’s 2022-2023 season was a rough one. First, unlike the 2021-2022 season, the team didn’t utilize as many players. The absence of key forwards like Ahn Young-joon (195 cm, F) and Choi Jun-yong (200 cm, F) was a major setback for SK.
Nevertheless, SK showed signs of being a force to be reckoned with from the sixth round of the regular season. They won all nine games of the sixth round, three games of the best-of-six playoffs, and three games of the best-of-four playoffs. They were 3-2 going into Game 5 of the championship. Just one step away from the title.
We fought well in Game 6 of the Championship, especially in the third quarter. The 3-2 zone defense that SK started using in the championship game worked, and SK led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter. It looked like a championship celebration.
But SK faltered in the fourth quarter. They couldn’t stop Darryl Monroe’s (196 cm, F) second-chance points and Byun Joon-hyung (185 cm, G) and Oh Se-geun (199 cm, C) three-pointers. They were outscored 4-22 in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, making Anyang KGC Ginseng Corporation (now Anyang Jeong Kwan-jang) the protagonists of the upset drama.
However, in the seventh game of the championship match, it was a thriller. He took the game to overtime. Even though he lost, he deserved the fans’ applause. Why it was all possible. Because Warney was there.
Warney has continued his dominance in the 2023-2024 season. Thanks to him, SK was able to go on an eight-game winning streak. The eight-game winning streak propelled them to second place. Warney then faced a rising Lagunia (199 cm, C).
Warney exuded confidence in front of Lagana. She hit long spin moves and floaters, as well as a three-pointer. Lagana, of course, wreaked havoc on the KCC defense.
However, Warne was not able to stop Lagana easily. In particular, they couldn’t easily handle Lagana’s 2-on-2s. He went outside the 3-point line to defend the 2-on-2, but couldn’t get back into the paint easily. This was a crucial factor that led to points for LaGuardia.
However, Warney’s offensive impact outweighed his defensive weaknesses. In addition to her own scoring, Warney also utilized her teammates, most notably her frontcourt partner Choi Bukyeong (200 cm, F). She had a synergistic relationship with Choi. Seven points, two rebounds, and one assist in the first quarter. Helped SK take a seven-point lead (21-14).
Warney faced the defense of Lee Seung-hyun (197 cm, F) in the second quarter. A matchup with a Korean player. Warney’s confidence grew. He scored points not only from back downs, but also from bursts of speed. 10 points and 2 assists in the second quarter alone. The gap between SK and KCC was bigger. The score was 47-35.
However, SK fell back to 49-51 just 4 minutes and 42 seconds into the third quarter. They lost too quickly. They needed a change of pace, and that’s where Warney came in. He grabbed an offensive rebound, followed by a tip-in and foul free throw. He converted the three-point play. Thanks to him, SK took the lead back at 52-51.
Also, when SK was missing free throws, Warney stepped in. A breakaway floater and a cut-in after a fast break. Warney’s back-to-back baskets revitalized SK’s momentum, and with the momentum in their favor, SK ended the third quarter with a 62-57 lead.
However, SK couldn’t keep up with KCC’s momentum. At one point in the fourth quarter, they were down 66-71. However, Warney scored the game-winning basket, and with 16.5 seconds left in the game, he scored a second chance point off an offensive rebound. Not resting for a second, it paid off. Warney’s numbers against KCC were equally impressive. She finished with 36 points, nine rebounds (four offensive), three assists and two blocked shots.
Jong-hoon Park, his pride intact: “I need to get back to the good times”
A former submarine pitcher who represented his team and league is confident of getting his honor back. Jong-hoon Park (SSG Rangers) is one of them.
Drafted by SK (now SSG) with the ninth pick in the second round of the 2010 rookie draft, Jong-hoon began to receive more opportunities in 2015 and posted back-to-back double-digit win seasons in 2017 (12 wins) and 2018 (14 wins). He continued his upward trend in 2019 and 2020.
The crisis came on May 28, 2021, against the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles. He complained of pain while pitching, and his season ended prematurely in June when he went under the knife. His final record for the year was 4-2 with a 2.82 ERA in nine games and 54 1/3 innings pitched. He hadn’t pitched fewer innings in a season since 2016, when he began working in the rotation full-time.
In December 2021, while his rehabilitation was still in full swing, Jong-hoon signed a five-year, $6.5 billion non-free agent contract with SSG. By signing alongside Moon Seung-won (5 years, 5.5 billion won) and Han Yoo-seom (5 years, 6 billion won), the team not only relieved him of contract pressure, but also created an environment where he could focus on his rehabilitation.
More than a year passed, and on July 31, 2022, Jong-hoon made his debut against the Gwangju KIA Tigers. He seemed to recapture his best form, going seven innings twice, and in the Korean Series against the Kiwoom Heroes that year, he pitched three and two-thirds innings of no-hit ball, striking out four and walking none to help his team win the title.
However, despite the time that has passed since his return, Park hasn’t quite gotten back on track, going 2-6 with a 6.19 ERA in 18 games and 80 innings last year. The ace, who had a spot in the starting lineup, was pushed out of contention and didn’t help the team much until the end of the season.
More than anyone else, Jong-hoon Park regretted the time since his return from injury. “Since I joined the team, I’ve been hearing about my pitching every time, and I think I need to prepare more,” Jong-hoon told reporters at the Incheon SSG Landers Field on March 3. I don’t think I’ve ever had a season where I couldn’t play baseball like this. I think this is the bottom,” he said, “I need to go back to the good times. I believe I can do better and I think it will work out. I didn’t believe in myself even when I practiced, but I’m going to believe in what I practiced.”
In November of last year, it was reported that Jong-hoon was removed from the KBO Secondary Draft Protection List. As a result, Jong-hoon wore the SSG uniform again this year, but he had to reflect on his lack of trust in the team.
“When I first heard (the news), I thought, ‘What’s going on?’ I also thought, ‘Is this real?’ But after a while, I thought about it and realized that honestly, a player speaks with his performance, and we shouldn’t let this happen. “In hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t go to another team. I would have been really depressed. I didn’t want to leave the team,” he reflected.
Jong-hoon Park is approaching the off-season with a different mindset than ever before. “I was originally in the low-to-mid 80s, but in the last three years I’ve been bulking up to 100 kilograms, and I’ve been focusing more on strength. I’ve been working on my strength for two years and it hasn’t paid off, so I have to go back to it.”
“Honestly, last year and the year before, I was working out on Mondays without rest, and I wasn’t spending time with my family. Now that I spend a lot of time with my family, I feel more relaxed and better (psychologically), and my body is lighter,” he said, adding, “I eat normally during the day and eat raw foods (like carrots) at night. I lose 3-4 kilograms a week. I’m still exercising, but I’m eating in moderation, so I’m losing weight,” he smiles.
What are his thoughts on new systems like ABS (automatic ball judgment system) and limiting the number of pitches? “In the last two years, a lot of high curveballs have been called balls even though they’re in the strike zone, so I think there’s a little bit of an advantage,” Park said, “but I don’t think it matters now. You have to throw it down the middle. Similarly, the ball didn’t go anywhere,” he reflected.
“It’s nice to have the limitations. I’m a fastball pitcher, and there were times when I was throwing the ball to the batter. I was thinking a lot about what to do because I was allowing a lot of stolen bases, but after talking to my brothers, I realized that it would be easier to prepare for those things in advance.”
Jong-hoon, who is on a personal training schedule, will depart for the United States on the 10th to work out with Choo Shin-soo and Ha Jae-hoon in Texas before traveling to Florida, SSG’s spring training location. “I want to throw the ball quickly in a warm place, and when I went to (Chu) Shin-soo’s house last year, I thought I was really ready, and the workout environment was good,” Jong-hoon said. “In the first season, Shin-soo asked me to come to the United States, and when I said I would go at the beginning of the season, he said he was really going to come, so I got an invitation. It’s better to work out with him than to do it alone. There’s also the issue of jet lag,” he said.
Now it’s just a matter of showing the results. “If I play a full season without skipping the rotation, I’ll think, ‘Now I’m going to get my honor back.’ I was angry and disappointed in myself because of the picture of skipping the rotation and being delayed in the batting order. As a first-team starter, I think that’s the first thing rather than the number of wins,” Jong-hoon vowed.
The South Korea U-23 national soccer team, led by head coach Hwang Sun-hong, will soon be traveling to Tunisia to train for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced in a press release on Wednesday that the U-23 squad will be training in Turkiye starting in mid-January, along with a list of players who will be participating in the training camp.
Hwang and the squad have been planning to train overseas since the new year for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris in July and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup, where Olympic qualification is at stake. The Asian Cup, which will see the top three teams from the 16 participating nations qualify for the Olympic Games, kicks off in April.
In the draw for the U-23 Asian Cup last November, South Korea was placed in Group B alongside Japan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals to compete for a spot in Paris.
After the group draw, host Qatar was placed in Group A alongside Australia, Jordan, and Indonesia. Defending champions Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Thailand, and Tajikistan were placed in Group C, while Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Kuwait, and Malaysia were drawn in Group D.
To qualify for the Olympics, a team must reach at least the semifinals of the competition. If they make it to the final, they’re guaranteed a spot in the Olympics, but if they lose in the semifinals, they’ll have to play a third- and fourth-place game. The fourth-place finisher would then play an intercontinental playoff against a team from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for a spot.
Africa has already qualified for the Olympics. Morocco won the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, followed by Egypt and Mali in second and third place, respectively. The fourth-place finisher at the Asian Cup will face Guinea in an intercontinental playoff for a ticket to the Olympics, as Guinea lost to Mali to finish fourth.
South Korea will attempt to become the first country in the world to qualify for a 10th consecutive Olympic men’s soccer tournament. Having already made world soccer history by qualifying for the last nine Olympic Games in Tokyo, South Korea is ready to make history under Hwang.
To that end, Hwang has been training overseas since the new year. In November last year, he began his training in earnest when he faced France, the host nation of the Paris Olympics and one of the favorites to win the men’s football tournament, in a friendly match at the Stade Ocean in Le Havre, France, where he scored a goal in a 3-0 victory.
A total of 27 players were called up for this training camp. 26 of them are K League players except for Hwang In-taek (Estoril Praia, Portugal). Most of the main players who appeared in the last match against France, including captain Byun Jun-soo, Uhm Ji-sung, and Hong Yun-sang, were selected. Four players from the Hangzhou Asian Games (Kim Jung-hoon, Ko Young-joon, Ahn Jae-joon, and Hwang Jae-won) will also join Hwang Sun-hong.
The four players are first-time selections. Last year’s U-20 World Cup participants Lee Seung-won, who won the tournament’s Bronze Ball, striker Lee Young-joon and defender Hwang In-taek were called up, while Bucheon FC forward Park Ho-min also made his first appearance.
“I am grateful to the managers and officials of the K League clubs who cooperated in the selection of the players,” said Hwang, who is scheduled to depart for Turkuye on the 13th. “We will make it a valuable time to improve our competitiveness in order to achieve our goal of appearing at the Olympic Games for the 10th consecutive time.”
A deal that seemed to be finalized can’t be finalized. Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of center back Radu Dragucin (Genoa) is in trouble.
“Tottenham and Genoa are set to hold fresh talks over the signing of Dragucin,” European soccer transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano said on Wednesday. “Tottenham’s initial verbal offer was around €23 million. Genoa are asking for €30 million (approximately $42.9 billion).” “Tottenham manager Anzhi Postecoglou still wants Dragucin,” he added.
At the end of last month, the difference between Tottenham and Genoa’s transfer fees, which were in the billions, had grown to 10 billion won.
Initially, Tottenham’s deal for Dragucin appeared to be on the fast track. On February 2, Romano said, “Tottenham are in talks with Genoa after reaching a personal agreement with Dragucin. As the contact continues day by day, Tottenham are confident of progressing the deal.” It was a positive development.
Transfer market pundit Rudi Galletti also tweeted on February 2: “Tottenham are close to finalizing a deal with Genoa for Dragucin. The player has already agreed personal terms,” and “(Genoa) are in talks to increase the transfer fee to €27 million ($38.7 million).”
In fact, it’s Tottenham who are in the most urgent situation. They are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements. They lost Micky van der Vaart to a hamstring tear in early November last year. Cristian Romero was also sidelined with a hamstring injury late last month. Postecoglou admitted last week that the players are still not training. Despite the presence of specialist center-back Eric Dier, the boss opted for full-backs Ben Davies and Emerson Royal in place of Dier in the starting lineup.
Spurs were initially targeting French center-back Jean-Claude Todibeau (OGC Nice), but competition for the player has increased with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea. Spurs quickly turned to Dragucin.
They’ve been trying. On the 2nd, the British ‘TeamTalk’ reported, “Tottenham are reportedly calling ‘every day’ to ensure a deal is done. “According to ‘Football Insider,’ Tottenham are in daily contact to finalize a deal in early January as they look to ensure there is no change in the situation regarding Dragucin’s January move. Negotiations are progressing well and Spurs believe an agreement can be reached.”
Knowing Tottenham’s situation, Dragucin and Genoa are in a tug-of-war to secure more favorable terms. “Tottenham and Genoa have a difference in their transfer fee,” says TeamTalk. Genoa want to receive £26 million, while Tottenham are unwilling to pay more than £21.7 million.”
“Tottenham are at the forefront of the race to sign Dragucin,” Sky Italia reports, “with Genoa wanting €35m, while Spurs have made a verbal offer of €22-23m (£31.5-32.9m). There is still a long way to go, but Tottenham are confident of landing the player.”
Genoa’s asking price is relatively high considering Dragucin’s youth, born in 2002. Dragucin is a former Juventus youth product in the Italian Serie A. He was loaned to second-tier Serie B side Genoa in the summer of 2022 and completed his move last January for a fee of €5.5 million. He scored four goals last season despite playing as a defender. Genoa finished second in the league, earning promotion to the top flight.
This season, Dragucin has been a full-time starter. He’s stopped Serie A strikers from breaking off the dribble and has shown strength in aerial battles. At 6-foot-2, his physicality has allowed him to excel at one-on-one marking and attacking set pieces. In Italy, he’s been touted as the next big center back to replace Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), who was voted Serie A’s best defender last season.
However, Dragusin has only been playing regularly in Serie A for a year and a half. Prior to joining Genoa, he spent six months on loan at Sampdoria and Salernitana, but he was never a full-time starter. It would be greedy to ask for nearly $500 million for a player who is just blossoming.
For example, Kim Min-jae, who led Napoli to the Serie A title last season and won the league’s best defender award, cost Bayern Munich 70 billion won in Germany. Dragucin is not yet a comparable prospect to Kim.
Tottenham even gave in to Dragucin’s demands once. According to Romania’s Prosport on January 1, Dragucin insisted on inserting a buyout clause. “Given Tottenham’s tendency to let players go, his agent demanded a buyout clause of €70-80 million to facilitate a future move to a big club. It is believed that Tottenham have accepted this.”
Tottenham have their work cut out for them, but they need to finalize the deal in a reasonable manner. “Tottenham are making daily phone calls to both Dragucin and Genoa,” the Daily Mail reported on February 2, making it clear who is taking their time and who is in a hurry.
Liverpool’s Muhammad Salah, 32, scored a multi-goal game to overtake Son Heung-min as the English Premier League (EPL)’s top scorer.
Salah scored twice to lead Liverpool to a 4-2 victory over Newcastle in the 20th round of the 2023-2024 EPL at Anfield in Liverpool, England, on Sunday (Feb. 2).
With the win, their second in a row and unbeaten in their last 13 matches, Liverpool consolidated their lead atop the standings with 13 points (6 wins, 1 draw) and 45 games played.
They opened up a three-point gap on second-place Aston Villa (13W3D4L).
Newcastle is ninth with 9 wins, 2 draws, and 9 losses (29 points).
Salah opened the scoring in the fifth minute of the second half with the score tied 0-0 when teammate Darwin Newnes headed home a low cross from the right side of the penalty area.
Newcastle’s Alexander Isaacs equalized nine minutes into the second half, but Liverpool’s Curtis Jones put the hosts ahead with a 29th-minute goal.
Cody Hackford rattled the net again in the 33rd minute from Salah’s cross, before Salah sealed the win from the penalty spot in the 41st minute.
Salah’s two-goal outburst took him to 14 goals in the league this season, tying him with Manchester City’s “monster striker” Elling Holland for the top spot. 카지노사이트가이드
The double top spot pushes Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth), Jared Boyne (West Ham), and Son Heung-min, who was tied for second with Salah, down to third.
Salah has won the top scorer’s title three times before, in the 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2021-22 seasons.
Salah, who has played for Liverpool since the 2017-18 season, also surpassed the 150-goal plateau with 151 EPL goals for the Reds.
He is only the fifth player in the EPL to score more than 150 goals for one club, joining Harry Kane (Tottenham – 213), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City – 184), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United – 183), and Thierry Henry (Arsenal – 174).
Salah also added an assist on the day, his eighth in the league, tying him with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins for first place in assists.
