Noh Jin-hyuk (36, Lotte Giants) boasts the largest FA shortstop contract ever recorded at No. 2. He signed a four-year, five-billion-won contract in the 2022-2023 FA market. It is the largest after Oh Ji-hwan (35, LG Twins), who signed a six-year, 12.4 billion-won contract in the 2023-2024 FA market.온라인바카라

The '2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, Lotte Giants and Doosan Bears' game was held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Sep. 1, 2024. Lotte third baseman Roh Jin-hyuk is preparing for the defense./My Daily

Along with Noh Jin-hyuk, Kim Jae-ho (40, retired), who signed a four-year, five-billion-won contract with the Doosan Bears in the 2016-2017 FA market, and Shim Woo-joon (30) who signed a four-year, five-billion-won contract with the Hanwha Eagles in the 2024-2025 FA market. Behind them, there are a total of nine contractors worth more than 2 billion won.

However, Noh has suffered severe slump over the past two years. He had a batting average of 0.257 with four homers and 51 RBIs in 113 games in the 2023 season, 43 runs scored with an OPS of 0.724 and a batting average of 0.219 with two homers and 13 RBIs in 73 games in the 2024 season, with an OPS of 0.604. This was less than expected of shortstop, who hit 20 homers in the 2020 season when he was playing for the NC Dinos, and had an OPS of 0.7 or more four times.

In the first two seasons of his four-year, five-billion-won contract, he played in only 186 games. He only made 19 errors during the period, but the general expectation is that a five-billion-won shortstop would have to show off his capability as an offense and defense. In the end, Noh gave up the starting shortstop to Park Seung-wook in the 2024 season and played as a backup at third base and other bases.

In the end, Noh was not included in the list of players in the first division spring camp for the 2025 season. This means that he is not included in the manager's plan for this season. Not only Park but also other infielders' poor performance or injury-preparing plan B. For starters, he has no choice but to show good results in the second division spring camp and appeal to the top tier team.

There is also a possibility that Roh Jin-hyuk will not receive his full salary this season. According to Article 32 of the Baseball Rules (increase and reduction of annual salary) related to the player contract, if a player who receives an annual salary of 300 million won or more stays in the second division without injury due to reasons attributable to the player, such as poor performance, the amount of the annual salary multiplied by 50% of the annual salary by the number of days not registered as an active player will be reduced from the annual salary. The number of days for which an active player cannot be registered will be applied immediately from the opening game for batters. Roh Jin-hyuk is a player who receives an annual salary of 600 million won.

In terms of the top 9 FA shortstop contracts, few cases were pushed out of the starting lineup for non-injury reasons like Roh Jin-hyuk. It is unusual for a high-priced FA contractor worth 5 billion won to not be able to enter the first-team camp and first-team games even though he is not sick.

For Roh Jin-hyuk, it is a crisis and opportunity for the next two years. Certainly, there is a high possibility that at least one chance to take off as well as the first team will come in the long-term race. He couldn't go to the first-team camp, but he may enter the opening entry. We have no choice but to prepare well in the second division because we don't know when the opportunity will be given. If you don't get a good evaluation in the second division, you will go straight to the FA Brutal History.