Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 140

Difficult FA Negotiations (2)

140. Difficult FA Negotiations (2)

We were finally on the verge of our Dream Agency’s first free agent (FA) negotiation.

The FA contract was important for the player and for our company’s revenue.

With such a large sum involved, it represented a significant financial opportunity.

Lee Joo-hyuk and I stayed up several nights, creating materials to showcase Go Ji-hoon as a player.

Leading up to the FA negotiation season, various sports media outlets were publishing articles about key FA players.

Of course, some of them were about Go Ji-hoon.

└Still, won’t Go Ji-hoon stay with the Doubles? He’s a franchise star.

└What’s that got to do with being a pro? You go where the money is.

└Isn’t Go Ji-hoon B-rated this time?

└No, no, he’s A-rated. His current salary is already high.

└If he’s A-rated, he’s untransferable. Which team would take him?

└Go Ji-hoon is a question mark. If we bet on him, we worry about his durability, but if we don’t, it’s a waste.

└The truth is, it’s better to sign a hitter with the money you’d use to sign a pitcher in FA. Develop your own pitchers, or pick good foreign players.

└The problem is, there’s no S-class hitter like Na Joon-ho this season…….

└Then we should just save the money and aim for next year. What else can we do?

For a team, signing a pitcher in FA was a much bigger risk than signing a hitter.

Hitters often maintain their skills even in their mid-30s, but pitchers were less likely to do so.

Even though Go Ji-hoon was a year younger than Na Joon-ho when he obtained FA qualification, his evaluation was relatively lower for that reason.

That’s why this negotiation was particularly challenging.

Moreover, unlike last year, when there were several players considered league aces, commonly referred to as S-class in the FA market, this year was different.

It could be a favorable situation for Go Ji-hoon, but on the other hand, teams might have lost interest in signing FA players to strengthen their roster.

For various reasons, it seemed like it would be a much more difficult negotiation than the one with Na Joon-ho.

We had to consider various strategies to approach it.

However, one thing was certain: a straightforward approach wouldn’t likely result in a contract at the desired level.

* * *

Even at this time, some players were at the training ground.

Choi Jung-hwan started training soon after the season ended.

Even though I suggested he take a few days off, Choi Jung-hwan firmly shook his head.

He volunteered for personal training, saying he needed to work on his control.

Even if he didn’t agree to switch to being a closer for the Doubles, control was a crucial skill.

Seo Sung-min was also at the training ground.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Seo Sung-min had been living at the training ground.

Since they were a pitcher and a hitter, they made good training partners.

Choi Jung-hwan, who needed to refine his control, was glad to have live pitching practice with a hitter,

and Seo Sung-min, as the opposing hitter, had no reason to refuse the opportunity to face the best fastball in the league.

When I entered the training ground, they seemed to be warming up for live pitching.

Seo Sung-min, holding a bat and getting ready, made eye contact with me first.

“Representative, you’re here?”

“The training ground is busy today too.”

“I have to work hard.”

“How is hitting with your right hand going?”

“It’s still far from perfect, but it feels much more natural than it did at first.”

Since he needed to get used to it, he was investing almost 80% of his time in right-handed hitting training.

“And after the team finishes negotiating salaries and FA contracts, I’m going to suggest signing you to teams that might need a veteran player.”

To be blunt, Seo Sung-min didn’t have the ability to instantly boost a team’s strength.

Therefore, realistically, I could only suggest Seo Sung-min after the teams had finished major power reinforcements, such as signing FAs or foreign players.

“Will I be able to find a team to play for?”

Concern quickly settled on Seo Sung-min’s face.

“Of course. If you can play a utility role in defense and compensate for your weaknesses in hitting, there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be possible.”

“I’ll keep training hard.”

“I’ll find a team for you no matter what, so you don’t have to worry about that at all.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Seo Sung-min nodded with hopeful eyes.

Now I turned my gaze to Choi Jung-hwan, who was preparing to pitch.

“Jung-hwan, how’s your physical condition?”

“It’s almost the same as during the season. My velocity seems to have dropped a bit, but I’m still satisfied with my balance.”

“It’s more important not to get hurt, so don’t overdo it.”

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

Choi Jung-hwan answered cheerfully and began preparing to pitch.

I quietly stepped back and watched them train.

“Jung-hwan, should we start training when you’re ready?”

“Yes, senior.”

Choi Jung-hwan nodded at Seo Sung-min’s question.

Now Seo Sung-min picked up his bat and approached the plate.

“Jung-hwan, I’ll stand in the right batter’s box first.”

“Yes.”

“Senior, is it okay if I throw inside?”

“Of course, feel free to hit me, so throw comfortably.”

Seo Sung-min answered confidently.

Of course, he probably didn’t mean it literally.

Now Choi Jung-hwan’s pitching began.

Whack!

Whack!

The pitches passed through the strike zone, but he still couldn’t throw them to the inside corner consistently.

Perhaps because he was nervous, his velocity wasn’t very high either.

Eventually, Seo Sung-min stopped the pitching.

“Jung-hwan, you can throw it more inside than you are now.”

“It’s not easy even when I try to focus on throwing inside.”

Choi Jung-hwan tilted his head, dissatisfied.

“Throw comfortably. You can really hit me.”

“Yes…….”

Concern was still visible on Choi Jung-hwan’s face.

He took a deep breath and continued pitching,

Whack!

Whack!

It still didn’t seem easy to control the inside pitch.

He would need time to overcome his trauma.

* * *

Later, I went to meet Go Ji-hoon, who was resting at home.

I didn’t forget to buy another big doll that Soo-ah would like.

“Wow! Thank you, Mister.”

Seeing her happy as soon as I handed her the doll made me fully appreciate the joy of giving gifts.

Then Go Ji-hoon and I went outside and sat down in a quiet cafe.

These days, Go Ji-hoon had no training or game schedule, except for going to the hospital for regular treatment.

Perhaps because he had been resting comfortably for several days without the stress of the season, he looked extremely relaxed.

“You look really good.”

“I thought I would be stressed when it was time to negotiate the FA contract, but now that it’s here, I just feel comfortable. I also think that everything will be resolved if I just trust Hyun-woo.”

“Of course. Just trust me and wait. I’ll get you the best contract possible.”

Go Ji-hoon smiled faintly at my words.

“Then, is there anything I need to do now?”

“The negotiation hasn’t started yet, but I wanted to hear your final thoughts. I’m also curious if you have a preferred team or any conditions you want to include in the contract.”

“Um……. Honestly, I want to go to the team where I can be most valued.”

“Even if it’s not the Doubles?”

“If the conditions are the same, I wouldn’t necessarily leave the Doubles, but I’m not completely opposed to leaving.”

In this regard, it seemed like it would be easier than the last negotiation with Na Joon-ho.

“Do you have any conditions you want to include in the contract?”

“Um……. It would be nice to be guaranteed a starting pitcher position. If my skills decline significantly, I’ll have to consider switching to the bullpen, but otherwise, I’d prefer to start.”

A guaranteed starting pitcher position.

If a team were to sign Go Ji-hoon, they would naturally use him as a starter, but including it as a clause in the contract was a different matter.

Sensing that I was troubled, Go Ji-hoon added a clarification.

“Is that too difficult a condition?”

“It’s the condition you want. I’ll try my best to make it happen.”

In order to include a difficult clause, it was necessary to establish a strong strategy from the initial stage of the negotiation.

“Teams will be competing to sign me, right?”

Go Ji-hoon asked with a slightly insecure expression.

“Of course, of course. A national team starting pitcher has come out on the FA market; there’s no way they wouldn’t make an offer.”

I answered with more enthusiasm than usual.

“I keep worrying that I was excluded from the lineup twice in the previous season due to injuries.”

“Senior, just trust me. I’m Kang Hyun-woo.”

I will keep the promise I made, no matter what.

* * *

From the date when FA contracts were officially possible, we could start full-scale negotiations.

First, we negotiated with the original team, the Doubles.

I visited the Doubles’ general manager’s office early in the morning.

“Representative Kang, welcome.”

Kim Gyu-sang, the Doubles’ general manager, greeted me with a bright smile.

I focused on the information that would be displayed in the information window [a game-like interface the protagonist uses to assess situations].

-Planning to stabilize the starting pitcher lineup by signing a starting pitcher.

-Thinking that Go Ji-hoon will !@x$.

Stabilizing the starting pitcher lineup was something all teams desired.

Although it wasn’t confirmed yet, if Choi Jung-hwan switched to being a closer, it would become even more important.

Although the content of the information window, which was still obscured by special characters, remained incomplete, it was clear that they wanted to sign Go Ji-hoon.

Kim Gyu-sang opened the conversation with the story of Choi Jung-hwan.

“How is Jung-hwan doing?”

“He’s training hard. Have you discussed his position with the field staff?”

“I’ve conveyed it to the manager and pitching coach. It’s not something that can be decided easily, so it may take some time to make a decision.”

“It’s an important decision. You have to think carefully.”

As long as we got an answer before spring training, there wouldn’t be any major problems in preparing for the season.

“Then shall we move on to the story of Go Ji-hoon?”

“Let’s do that.”

As I answered, I unfolded the prepared materials.

“First of all, we are grateful for Go Ji-hoon’s contribution to the Doubles so far.”

“Thank you.”

“From the team’s point of view, we need Go Ji-hoon, and the coaching staff also wants to keep him to maintain our strength.”

I already knew from the information window that the Doubles needed Go Ji-hoon.

Kim Gyu-sang paused for a moment and finally opened his mouth.

“We offer a 3-year, 2 billion won deal.”

“……Pardon?”

Did I hear wrong?

The total amount itself was absurdly low, and the contract period was 3 years instead of 4?

From the contract period to the total amount, they were numbers I had never imagined.

Ah…… Surely I must have heard wrong?

Perfect Agent [EN]

Perfect Agent [EN]

퍼펙트 에이전트
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] From the ashes of a shattered baseball dream, a new legend rises! Kang Hyun-woo, once a promising player, is sidelined by a career-ending trauma. But fate has a twist in store. An extraordinary ability is awakened within him, granting him a second chance in a world he thought he'd left behind. Witness the birth of the Perfect Agent, as Kang Hyun-woo navigates the cutthroat world of sports, proving that even in defeat, victory can be found in the most unexpected places. Get ready for a thrilling journey of resilience, strategy, and the unwavering pursuit of greatness!

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