Choo Shin-soo will play in the final season at SSG!
The SSG Landers announced Monday the signing of contract with Choo Shin-soo (41) for the 2024 season. The minimum annual salary for next year is 30 million won. Choo will donate all of his money. The club added that it has decided to join the donation to add meaning to Choo's sincere move, who has expressed his intention to donate his annual salary.
Until recently, Choo had been agonizing over whether to extend his mandatory military service. This is another reason why he signed a one-year contract from 2021 when he entered the KBO League. "I had been agonizing a lot with my family during the offseason. Every time, I could feel the support from my fans and most importantly, my juniors were right in front of me. That's how much I love baseball and our team."
New manager Lee Soo-yong (52) also strongly wanted Choo. The front office vowed a generational change, but Lee, who is just starting a new team, needed a veteran to keep the balance. Lee gave Choo the captaincy for the 2024 season. "He has a lot of experience and leadership. On top of that, Lee suggested Choo, considering that he is highly respected by the team, and Choo accepted the captaincy," the team added.
Choo Shin-soo said, "The coach said I needed it, and he respected my opinion," adding, "Next year's performance is also important, but depending on the team's circumstances, I want to contribute to the team by training with my juniors and sharing my experiences and thoughts."
The minimum annual salary contract is also another contribution that Choo has made. The club also announced that the contract was proposed by Choo. Initially, Choo was paid 2.7 billion won (2.4 million U.S. dollars) each for two seasons from the 2021 season, before receiving 1.7 billion won (1.57 million dollars) in the 2023 season. However, he cut 1.67 billion won (1.54 million dollars) more next year. An annual salary for a professional player is his pride, but he aims to pursue more meaningful value than money.
"The minimum salary is Choo Shin-soo's deep consideration for the team's management," a team official said. "We are all very grateful for this. Thanks to this, we are able to expand our operations in many ways, including salary cap (cap on the team's total annual salary), team salary, and free agent (FA) contract."
Choo will put an end to his career after the 2024 season. "I played baseball in the U.S. and Korea for 23 years since 2001. I think it is time to put an end to the game," he said. "Since it is the last season, I want to give meaningful memories to fans regardless of their home or away fans." "In order to repay fans, Choo proposed various fan service plans to the club," the club said. "He wanted to make memories and end his career by presenting his autographed uniform, holding autograph events, or supporting amateur baseball."