Choo Shin-soo, ‘1 billion cut’, could not see next year… “I tried to quit at first”

The first plan for Choo Shin-soo (40, SSG Landers), who achieved his first dream professional championship in the 2022 season, was retirement.

Choo Shin-soo attended the ‘2022 Champions Fan Festival’ held at Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon on the 11th and was with 4,000 SSG fans. It was an event prepared by SSG to repay the fans’ passion for unsparing support for the KBO League’s first wire-to-wire combined championship. It was Choo Shin-soo who was spending time with his family in the United States, but he moved his schedule ahead of time to visit Korea for an appointment with his fans.

Many fans were surprised by his appearance, which was expected to be difficult to see. In response, Choo Shin-soo said, “It was regrettable that I couldn’t go on the last Landysbuck Day (November 24), 토토 but I came early because I didn’t think I should go this time. I don’t know why you thought I wouldn’t come.” I wish it would happen,” he hoped.

Choo Shin-soo’s wish is expected to continue next year. On the 5th, SSG officially announced that it had signed a new contract with Choo Shin-soo for an annual salary of 1.7 billion won. The annual salary of 1.7 billion won for the 2023 season is a significant cut from the annual salary (2.7 billion won) that he has maintained since his first year as a player. It’s not an easy decision for him, but the salary didn’t matter too much to him. Rather, he was Choo Shin-soo, who thought of retirement. He said, “It seems like I’m talking about it for the first time. There is also a salary cap problem, but in fact, I decided it was time to get out of the way for his juniors.”

It was because I understood the inevitable team situation. Choo Shin-soo said, “I wanted to play more baseball, but I thought it was not okay to not bring the players I needed to the team because of me. Also, because I won the championship this year, my juniors should receive a higher salary. So, at first, I tried to quit my career as a player. I did,” he said honestly.

On the contrary, the team still needed “leader” Shin-soo Choo. When SSG announced the contract renewal, “Choo Shin-soo is expected to play a pivotal role as the team’s leader next season with a serious attitude toward baseball and thorough self-management.” Of course, he is still expected to perform as a player. He recorded a batting average of 0.259, 16 homers, 58 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of 0.382, and an OPS of 0.812 in 112 games this year. Choo Shin-soo said, “The club kept telling me that I needed it.

But an unexpected difficulty awaited them. Choo Shin-soo said, “My children liked that I continued my career as a player, but it took a long time to convince my wife.” I am receiving applause while making my favorite baseball career. I consider myself very lucky. I also appealed this to my wife. She knows how serious I am about baseball and has seen me for a long time, so in the end she gave me permission. ” he smiled.

The goal of the 40-year-old leader who was with SSG in the 2023 season was, of course, to stand on top once again. At the end of the fan festival, Choo Shin-soo, who became the representative of the team, said, “It’s the first time I’ve ever had an event like this while playing baseball. I thought it would be nice to have it often. Many fans came to the baseball field this season, but you can be proud of being number one in the crowd.” “In the 100-year history of the major leagues, it was the first time in Korean baseball to record a wire-to-wire, which was only 4 or 5 times. This is a record that was possible because of the interest and passion of the fans. We will gather our strength once again,” he said.