Kim Dong-ju of the Korean Baseball Organization’s Doosan Bears finally signed a new deal yesterday.
Kim had previously turned down a four-year, 5 billion won ($5.3 million) deal from the Korean Series runner-up, instead accepting a one-year, 900 million won deal with the hopes of playing in Japan or the United States after the 2008 season. To my knowledge he is the highest paid player in Korean baseball, though such figures aren’t readily available.
Then I came across this post on Taiwan Baseball, which details salary figures for five of the top players in Taiwan. These players make considerably less. Of course, the league is smaller and thus the revenue is as well, but I’d say these guys are making a little less than they ought to.
- Chin-Feng Chen (La New Bears) - 830,000 NT/month ~ $25,600/mo
(CFC’s annual salary is roughly around $200,000 a year) - Wei-Lun Pan (President Lions) - 460,000 NT/month ~ $14,200/mo
- Kuo-Ching Kao (President Lions) - 350,000 NT/month ~ $10,800/mo
- Cheng-Min Peng (Brother Elephants) - 320,000 NT/month ~ $9,900/mo
19 responses so far ↓
1 K // Jan 16, 2008 at 11:56 am
How much money are they making throwing games? Everyone knows that is why foriegners go there. Gary Rath faked an injury ecause he couldn’t deal with the gambling.
2 Shinsano // Jan 16, 2008 at 12:25 pm
They go there to throw games? To make some extra dough? I guess that could work.
3 Dan // Jan 16, 2008 at 2:25 pm
now Rath is back in Korea…Doosan must think its still 2004.
IMO, as a Bears fan…I’d rather have Mike Romano than Rath. why not bring Victor Cole back as well Doosan??
4 Shinsano // Jan 16, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I thought bringing back Rath was a little weird too…although I think that “Devil Better Know” article had a point…that maybe it’s better to get a player whose lived in Korea before rather than end up with a Jason Johnson or Dan Miceli in Japan type.
If the first comment is right…that Rath faked an injury because he wasn’t down with the gambling, then I think he might be an ok pickup.
But overall, without the magic arm of Rios, I think that team takes a hit. Although Kim Sunny could be good.
5 Lee // Jan 17, 2008 at 8:02 am
Then why was Doosan so paranoid of controlling Gary Rath’s rights over the past few years? If he isn’t that good, or they thought he was sub-par, then let him walk a-la Jamie Brown and Jacob Cruz. Romano? He’s alright, but he was supported more by a solid team rather than him leading the way. Additionally, Sunny Kim will be average at best. The guy had a 5 ERA in AAA last year and will more than likely suck the million dollar contract down with little return.
6 Shinsano // Jan 17, 2008 at 8:14 am
Sunny’s numbers got pretty ugly over the past couple years, but I have to wonder if that was psychological as much as anything. He went over there after high school with a ton of promise and it kind of dwindled away. I don’t know that his skill has diminished so much.
I think Rath’s ceiling might be about what Romano was last year. On a good Doosan team he could post a nice W-L record. Actually, I think Randel is a little that way too. Randel has good stuff, but he’s not going to take over a season like Rios did.
7 Lee // Jan 17, 2008 at 8:24 am
Maybe so with Sunny Kim. It’s just a lot of money for a guy who is unproven in the KBO while Rios was haggled by a contract with not much guaranteed. I am beginning to understand why a foreign player, when given the chance, would bolt for Japan. Japan strikes me as a “want to be there” league, while Korea is a “have to be there” one. As for Rath, I think he’ll win 14-17 again this year with his normal 200IP. Not bad for that “Japanese retribution” contract he signed. I see why Doosan has so many problems, strange bunch.
8 Shinsano // Jan 17, 2008 at 9:05 am
Oh yeah…as compared to haggling with Rios…well, and in general, Kim got handed a lot of money. Basically for being Korean. As far as I remember the top paid foreign player last year was making just $400,000. Kim’s getting 1.5MM over two.
I rooted for Doosan last year as my default team after Lotte…but I don’t think I will this year. Maybe Kia. I really like Seo.
9 Dan // Jan 17, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Foreign players in the KBO are allowed to make up to 300K…then a 25% increase each year after that (that does not include under the table dealings etc).
i think that if Rath starts out slow, Doosan will drop him and go after someone else.
Lee, are u saying that Doosan was controlling Rath’s rights while he was in Japan, Venezuela, and Taiwan? or do you mean when he was with Doosan in 01/02 and 04?
10 Lee // Jan 17, 2008 at 5:53 pm
When a foreign player signs a contract with a Korean team, and at the end of that season the team offers him another contract to return and he turns it down and moves on (most likely Japan), the Korean team retains sole custody of his rights for 5 seasons. On top of that, the Korean team does not have to make another offer in following years (those 5) to alter the course of the “banishment”. They can effectively “shelve” him for 5 years, and by then he may be pumping gas. As I am a very good friend of Rath (extremely nice guy), I know by his emails that every single team in the KBO approached Doosan numerous times to offer a trade. In 2006 Doosan flatly said no, and in 2007 the asking price was Barry Bonds”ish”. So if he started out slowly and was released, I am not so sure it would break his heart. Maybe he could rejuvenate like Rios did when he was released by Kia.
11 Lee // Jan 17, 2008 at 6:00 pm
So to answer your question…YES….Doosan practically squashed him for those years. I know Taiwan was rough on he and his family but he just battled through until police started arresting guys in the parking lot. He said it was to sketchy for his pregnant wife and 2 year old little girl. However, the greatest irony to the whole thing was how Randell came to Doosan and has produced brilliantly……he was recommended and given to them by none other than Gary Rath! Payback’s a bitch.
12 Lee // Jan 17, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I know Taiwan was rough on his pregnant wife and 2 year old little girl. Not sure about the knee/gambling part of it.
But to answer Dan’s question…YES…Doosan effectively banished Rath for those years. The ironic thing however is how do you think Doosan got Matt Randell? You guessed it….Gary Rath….nice respect of the “gaijin”. Do you think the geniuses at Doosan scouted and found Randell. Exactly why the KBO is so much more like the CPBL than it is (or ever will be) to the NPB. We’re talking about a league that is contracting!
13 Shinsano // Jan 17, 2008 at 6:57 pm
When a foreign player signs a contract with a Korean team, and at the end of that season the team offers him another contract to return and he turns it down and moves on (most likely Japan), the Korean team retains sole custody of his rights for 5 seasons.
That’s insane. I had no idea. What a weird bullshity kind of way of giving teams an inordinate control over a players. This makes me hope Rath has a good year since 1) he had such a terrible time in Taiwan and 2) so he has some leverage against Doosan.
This also makes me realize why someone like Rios would run at the chance to play in Japan.
Where did Rath know Randel(l) from? (By the way, we had a big argument about the spelling of his name where someone claiming to be friends with his wife wrote in and insisted it was one way, then later changed it within his own comment). To my knowledge Randel(l) only played college ball in the states. Was he in Taiwan or a semi-pro league?
14 Lee // Jan 17, 2008 at 9:49 pm
I believe they played together with Yomiuri in 2003.
15 will // Jan 25, 2008 at 6:01 am
Having played in Taiwan before and after the gambling came to light I can tell you that if you don’t gamble you have nothing to worry about. It is a very safe place. You might get screwed out of your guaranteed contract, like I was, but there is no danger. Now, if you take money to throw games, you get what you get. Also, Japan is not necessarily a” want to be there league”. I went to Japan and never got to pitch because of a change in Major League affiliation. I wish I had gone to Korea instead because I would have gotten the opportunity to pitch. They paid me my money in Japan but it was not worth not getting to opportunity to pitch. To me, whether it was the US, Taiwan, Japan, or Mexico, it was about getting the opportunty to pitch. I will always be thankful to Taiwan and Mexico for that opportunty. And, surprisingly enough, I was very good when somebody let me pitch and wound up having a nioce 13 year career.
16 elredoredo // Jan 27, 2008 at 1:58 am
Good line of discussion.
Will, who did you play for in Mexico?
Shinsano, this may be poor question, what accounts for large difference in salary between foreign athletes and Taiwanese/Korean athletes? Salary caps? I believe player should be paid based on ability, like any other professional?
17 Shinsano // Jan 27, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I’m not sure, but I think it comes down to the structure of the league. Just like how a company in Australia might pay less than a company doing the same thing in the U.S. Like I said, I think relative to their economic power, Korean teams/companies pay a pittance. Part of that would be based on the fact that the league makes X number of dollars/won less than the NPB, but it’s obviously even lower than that.
18 will // Jan 28, 2008 at 3:28 pm
elrederado,
I played for the the Mexico City Diablos, Oaxaca, Saltillo, and Cancun in Liga Mexicana and also played for Mexicali in the Pacific League.
19 Amiao // May 6, 2008 at 10:48 am
Hi Will, are you Will Flynt? Many fans in Taiwan are still missing you! We heard rumors that you might come back but it never came true. But I will never forget you the first guy who touched 200Ks in Taiwan.
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