Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 276

The Challenge Towards a Dream (2)

I handed the materials to Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo respectively.

“I think both players will have a lot to think about.”

“Are the conditions not good?”

Park Seong-joo tried not to show it, but he couldn’t completely hide his disappointment.

“It’s not that the conditions themselves are bad.”

“Then what’s making you 고민 [gomin – worried]?”

Oh Seok-hoon tilted his head and asked me.

“Because you have other options.”

“Options…?”

Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo looked up at me simultaneously.

“I haven’t discussed it in detail yet, but I think domestic clubs will also make huge offers, right?”

“Ah… There are domestic clubs too.”

“Unless you can get a guaranteed major league spot with a minor league veto clause, you’ll have to compare it to staying in Korea and being recognized, right?”

“I guess so.”

After a moment of thought, Oh Seok-hoon slowly nodded.

“If I have to choose between the minor league and staying in Korea, it’s going to be a headache.”

Park Seong-joo pressed his temples with both hands and said.

“Let’s look at the materials and talk. First, Seok-hoon.”

I opened Oh Seok-hoon’s materials and continued.

“I think there are quite a few teams that will guarantee a 40-man roster spot. The salary is roughly a 4-year contract with a total of $30-40 million.”

“So, it’s a major league contract?”

“That’s right. But I think we need to negotiate further to guarantee a 25-man roster spot right away and get a minor league veto clause.”

“Hmm… That means I might have to live in the minor league?”

Oh Seok-hoon paused for a moment, then frowned and replied.

“I think you can overcome it with your skills, but there’s no offer that guarantees a major league spot right now.”

“It’s 고민 [gomin – a worry]… I want to challenge myself in the American league, but I don’t want to play in the minor league. It would be a waste of my prime.”

“It’s not the final plan yet. We’re going to start 본격적인 [bongeukjeokin – full-scale] negotiations from now on. If you tell me your opinion, I’ll negotiate to include the conditions you want.”

Oh Seok-hoon paused for a moment after hearing my words.

Then he carefully opened his mouth.

“I want to start in the major league at least. It’s not important to get more money, I’m going to challenge myself to get a 냉정하게 [naengjeonghage – fair] evaluation of my skills.”

“Hmm, I understand.”

I nodded and took notes, then continued the conversation.

“Then, is there a team or region you want?”

“Actually, I don’t know much about America. It’s going to be a strange place no matter where I go. Wouldn’t it be almost the same?”

Oh Seok-hoon tilted his head and said.

I turned to Watson and Scott and asked.

“Can Watson or Scott give you advice?”

Then Scott opened his mouth.

“Since Oh is Korean, wouldn’t it be better to play in a place where there are many Koreans?”

“Oh, that’s right. It would be much easier to adapt if there are many Koreans in the area.”

“I know that there are many Koreans in LA [Los Angeles].”

“That’s why many Korean players have advanced there.”

I looked back at Oh Seok-hoon and continued.

“Seok-hoon, if possible, it would be easier to transfer to a team in an area with many Koreans, right?”

“I think so. It’s reassuring just thinking about it.”

“Of course, other options may be better depending on the negotiation conditions, but let’s think about it as an important point.”

And I carefully added a word.

“And if you can sign a good contract with a major league club, but it’s difficult to guarantee a 25-man roster from the beginning, what would you like to do?”

“Hoo… It’s too difficult to answer now. I think I’ll have to compare it with domestic clubs at that time.”

“Okay, let’s talk about it again then. Instead, I think it’s good to think about it from now on because that situation can happen enough.”

“Yes.”

Oh Seok-hoon nodded and replied.

“Then let’s move on to Seong-joo.”

I turned to Park Seong-joo and continued the story.

“Seong-joo, you can see that it’s similar to Seok-hoon in big parts. There are several clubs that will guarantee a 40-man roster, but there is no club that has proposed to guarantee 25 major leagues right now.”

“Does that mean I might have to live in the minor league too?”

Park Seong-joo asked with a worried expression.

“It means that you may start the season in the minor league. If you perform really well in spring camp, the situation will be completely different.”

“I’m not so attracted to living in the minor league. It’s good to have new experiences, but I also want to set meaningful records.”

“Of course, if you sign a good contract, there will always be a chance to be called up. The key is the period of adapting to the American league.”

“I don’t feel like it so far, but my mind may change if I hear the conditions in the future.”

Park Seong-joo shook his head and replied.

“Okay, I understand. Then, do you have any area or club in mind?”

“I heard that it would be much better for me to be in an area with many Koreans. It will be easier to adapt, and I will feel comfortable.”

“I guess so. I’ll proceed with that in mind.”

I briefly recorded the contents of the conversation so far.

“Now, the last question. What if the major league club gives you a final plan that you can sign a good contract, but it is difficult to guarantee a major league 25-man roster right away?”

As soon as my question was over, Park Seong-joo answered without 고민 [gomin – hesitation].

“Then I won’t go. Even if I can show my skills and go up to the major league, I can’t predict when that will be. Fans won’t even bother to watch the minor league.”

“Even if they give you a lot more money than the Korean club?”

“Yes, it’s good to get a lot of money. But first of all, baseball should be fun.”

Park Seong-joo nodded firmly.

“Okay, I understand. I’ll pass on what you’ve told me so far.”

I recorded Park Seong-joo’s answer and put down the pen.

Then, I looked at the four players alternately and continued the conversation.

“I think I’ve confirmed your opinions enough. Negotiations will be busy from now on. I’ll deliver the necessary contents right away. Let’s talk again as it is updated.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, my boss.”

The four players nodded and replied.

“And if you change your mind in the middle, please tell me anytime. You can negotiate as much as you want until you put the final stamp on it.”

That’s how I finished the conversation with the four players.

Now that I’ve confirmed the players’ opinions, it’s time to start 본격적인 [bongeukjeokin – full-scale] negotiations.

* * *

I delivered the part I had talked with the players to Kim Sang-wook of Sky Corporation.

After the meeting with me, Kim Sang-wook went back to the United States and was meeting with several clubs to negotiate.

Kim Sang-wook delivered the situation of the negotiations in almost real time.

Since there are 30 clubs in the United States alone, the situation he delivered was enormous.

As a few days passed, we were able to receive concrete proposals from several clubs.

The common point of these teams was that they had been considering recruiting for several years.

First of all, Donald Watson was already receiving very 적극적인 [jeokgeukjeokin – active] offers.

A 40-man roster guarantee contract was natural, and there were also clubs that offered a 25-man roster with a minor league veto clause.

The total salary was in the range of $20 million to $25 million.

It wasn’t a bad offer at all in Watson’s situation right now.

Moreover, it felt even bigger compared to the $2 million he received as a salary in Korea last season.

However, since Watson was already looking at his mid-30s, no club offered a long-term contract of more than 4 years.

The longest was 3 years, including option clauses.

And many major league clubs were also interested in Michael Scott.

All the clubs that made offers offered conditions to guarantee a 40-man roster.

The definite strengths were his young age in his mid-20s, his annual growth in the Korean league, and his MVP award as well as 20 wins and an ERA of 2.0.

However, the fact that he has not yet been verified in the American league was acting as a risk.

Perhaps because of that reason, many offers of about 2 or 3 years were coming in rather than long-term contracts.

It wasn’t something that could only be said to be bad.

Even if he finished the contract period, he was still young in his late 20s, so there was a good chance that he would be able to get a really big contract after finishing the contract period.

There was also a lot of interest in Oh Seok-hoon, who had been driving scouts for a long time.

Since he won the batting title and proved his long hit power by hitting more than 20 home runs, there was no controversy over the batting part even in the major league.

Instead, the fact that it was difficult to actively utilize speed due to his injury history was pointed out as a risk factor.

Nevertheless, he was a player with the best batting skills and excellent outfield defense skills, so steady interest continued.

The main point was whether to include a minor league veto clause in the 25-man roster, not the 40-man roster.

There was also interest in Park Seong-joo from clubs that needed a 거포 [geopo – power hitter].

It was a predictable result because he had established himself as the best home run hitter in Korea, hitting 30 home runs for 3 consecutive years and 42 home runs this season.

As Arizona scout Stephen Paul said last time, there were quite a few clubs that dug into the fact that the fastball exceeding 155km/h was not accurate.

However, Park Seong-joo still wanted to get a chance to prove his skills in the major league, not the minor league.

As with Oh Seok-hoon, the key to the negotiation was to reduce the gap between the clubs trying to reduce the risk and the players who wanted to get enough opportunities.

As Kim Sang-wook was sending updated information busily from the United States, he was talking with each player and asking for opinions and coordinating each time a new offer came in.

As big contracts began to come out in the major league one by one, the negotiation fever for our players was getting hotter and hotter.