Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 291

Toward the Stage of Dreams (2)

I was busy checking the hourly updates coming in from the United States when suddenly, Choi Min-sung, the Buffaloes’ general manager, arrived at our agency in person.

I sat across from him in the office.

“General Manager, what brings you here?”

“I wanted to check on our players and also discuss some things with CEO Kang.”

I wasn’t really asking because I didn’t know why he was here. I suspected it had to do with…

…a possible contract with Oh Seok-hoon and Park Sung-joo.

Since neither Oh Seok-hoon nor Park Sung-joo had signed a final contract with a Major League team, and there were no concrete discussions ongoing, it wasn’t unreasonable to think there was room for negotiation.

“Since you’re busy, shall we get straight to the point?”

I pretended not to know anything and asked, “Could you tell me how the contract negotiations for Seok-hoon and Sung-joo are progressing?”

“We’re in the middle of intense negotiations. We’ve already received concrete offers, but there are a few additional conditions we want. We’re making a counteroffer and waiting.”

“Does that mean there hasn’t been an offer that has really swayed them yet?”

Choi Min-sung raised his eyebrows. “To be precise, you could say that.”

“Do the two players have any thoughts of staying in Korea?”

“If there’s a good offer, wouldn’t they consider it?”

Choi Min-sung’s eyes sparkled at my words.

“Then we’d like to propose an even higher guaranteed amount.”

I clasped my hands together. “Shall we hear the specifics?”

“Initially, we offered a guaranteed amount of 10.5 billion won with an option of 5 billion won, right?”

When I nodded, Choi Min-sung continued, “How about changing it to a guaranteed 13.5 billion won with an option of 2 billion won? It’s unlikely they won’t achieve the option, but even if they don’t, the players would be guaranteed a sufficient amount.”

“Oh ho. That’s definitely a much better offer than the one you gave me at first.”

My positive reaction brought a faint smile to Choi Min-sung’s face.

But what I really wanted to say started here.

“But there’s one problem.”

“What is it?”

Sensing that it wouldn’t be the answer he wanted, the smile vanished from Choi Min-sung’s face in an instant.

“There’s a team that offered more than the Buffaloes.”

“Y-you mean there’s a team that offered more than us? Which team is it?”

“It’s difficult to tell you the specific team. However, we’ve received an offer with better conditions than the current amount.”

With this offer, the guaranteed amount was higher from the Buffaloes, but the total amount was still 500 million won more from the Jaguars.

“You mean they offered even more money than this?”

Choi Min-sung swallowed hard, trying to hide his expression.

“There won’t be FA [Free Agent] players like Seok-hoon or Sung-joo for the next few years. If there’s a team that wants to strengthen its batting lineup, it’s natural for them to be interested in the two players.”

“Hmm…….”

“Besides, how difficult would it be to give up on a Major League contract? This might be the first and last chance for both players to try out for the Major League in their careers.”

“That’s true.”

Choi Min-sung nodded slowly.

“It’s likely that an average contract won’t be enough to change their minds.”

“You mean we need an even higher amount than what we’re offering now.”

“Well, it’s an important part to uphold the pride of a player who gives up on the Major League and stays in Korea.”

After listening to me, Choi Min-sung pondered for a moment. “I think I need to go back to the team and discuss this. It’s clear that we must sign both players, but we can’t just offer a high amount because of the payroll regulations.”

“Then I’d like to make a suggestion from our side.”

I naturally moved on to the story I wanted to tell.

“Anything.”

Choi Min-sung looked at me with a hopeful expression.

“How about making the contract period longer?”

“You mean longer than 4 years?”

“Seok-hoon and Sung-joo are in their 30s now. They’ll be competitive players even after 4 years. Of course, I think I’ll be able to get them a good contract then too.”

I continued, confirming that Choi Min-sung was nodding. “But if they can be guaranteed a sufficient contract period, they can focus on baseball with a sense of stability as players, so wouldn’t that be positive? If you give us the option to choose the contract period, it would be a great help in making a decision.”

“You’re talking about a 6-year contract?”

“No.”

Choi Min-sung couldn’t hide his surprise at my firm answer.

“Then how many years……?”

“A 6-year contract is too likely to be disadvantageous to our players. It should be about 8 years.”

“8, 8 years……?”

Choi Min-sung couldn’t close his mouth easily.

“If they finish their contract in 6 years, our players will be vaguely past their mid-30s. I don’t doubt that they’ll still be competitive players then, but there’s no need to create a situation where our players feel burdened later on.”

“Hmm…….”

“If you have a long-term contract, it seems like the team can reduce the payroll burden, right?”

“Do you think the players would think positively about an 8-year contract?”

“Of course, this is just my opinion, so I need to check the players’ opinions again. But what’s clear is that if you don’t make a really attractive offer to our players, there’s almost no chance. It’s true that Seok-hoon and Sung-joo have a deep affection for the Buffaloes, but the FA contract is a precious opportunity that they won’t have many times in their careers.”

I looked into Choi Min-sung’s eyes and spoke with strength in my voice. “When do you need to let me know by?”

“That’s up to the general manager to decide. No one knows what kind of offer you need to throw out and when to shake our players’ hearts.”

“I understand. I’ll think about it seriously and let you know soon.”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting.”

I finished the conversation with Choi Min-sung with a relaxed smile.

* * *

While offers were coming in from domestic teams, the Major League free agent market was also busy.

In the United States, teams that missed out on big names in the free agent market were actively proposing to sign Oh Seok-hoon and Park Sung-joo.

In fact, many teams were looking positively at signing the two players.

The key was whether they could include a 25-man roster spot and a minor league no-trade clause.

Since a Major League entry was at stake, it was clear that American teams couldn’t make a simple decision.

According to Kim Sang-wook of Sky Corporation, there was still some room for Oh Seok-hoon, but Park Sung-joo was considered a bit difficult.

After all, home run hitters were the type of players that could be signed in the United States as well, so it was clear that teams would be hesitant unless they were players with proven tremendous competitiveness.

On the other hand, the offer for Michael Scott seemed to be almost finalized.

Now it was just a matter of Scott’s decision.

I immediately called Scott in and sat down with him.

“Scott, have you thought about it enough?”

“Oh, my boss. I’ve been thinking a lot, but it’s really hard to choose.”

Scott grinned, revealing his white teeth.

“What’s the biggest concern?”

“I don’t know whether to choose the team I’ve wanted to play for since I was a kid or go to a team where I can be competitive right away.”

“Hmm…….”

It was a difficult question to answer easily.

“The team I really want to go to has a good record, so I’ll probably be in the minor league at first or go back and forth often. But if I go to a lower-ranked team, I can definitely compete for a starting rotation spot in the Major League.”

“It’s a burden to be able to go back and forth to the minor league, right?”

In Korea, he could be in the first team unless something special happened, but in the United States, he could be notified to go to the minor league at any time if he messed up just one game.

“But that’s not a big problem. Even if it’s the minor league, playing baseball is the same anyway.”

“Then is it because you don’t want to play as a relief pitcher?”

“Yeah…….”

Scott frowned deeply and nodded.

The reason Scott chose the Korean stage a few years ago was because he didn’t get enough chances to start in the United States.

In that situation, he wouldn’t be happy to play as a relief pitcher again.

“I know you don’t prefer the relief pitcher position. But there will be variables during the season, so there will definitely be a chance to start. If you show a good performance then, the situation can change.”

“If that happens, it wouldn’t be bad…….”

But Scott’s mind still seemed complicated.

“Scott, now that you’re the Scott you are, you can definitely be competitive in the United States. And you have a lot of time to play as a player in the future. That means you’ll have plenty of good opportunities.”

“Can I really become a Major League starting pitcher?”

“Of course. Have you ever seen me just say things? Scott, you can definitely do it.”

“Okay, if my boss says so, then that’s what it is.”

Scott clapped his hands coolly and said.

“Then, it’s okay to proceed with the contract?”

Scott nodded vigorously at my question.

As soon as I confirmed Scott’s opinion, I conveyed the contents to Kim Sang-wook.

And soon after, we were able to exchange official contracts.

It was the moment when another player from our agency was challenging the Major League stage.

* * *

As soon as the contract was finalized, we immediately distributed a press release.

As he was the player who received the most attention, we were able to confirm the enthusiastic response.

└Wow, the contract terms are great.

└It’s also a strong team. I think he can win a championship ring in the United States too.

└The salary he was getting in Korea can’t be compared. It’s almost five times as much.

└Looking at the salary, I guess they think he’s a Major League player after all.

└But isn’t the contract period shorter than I thought? It’s best for a player to sign a contract for as long as possible.

└Scott is still young, so it’s definitely possible for him to finish his verification in the Major League and aim for a jackpot in 3 years.

└But Watson and Scott might face off against each other.

└Since they’re in the same division, they’ll probably do it as much as they want unless one of them gets traded.

└From now on, it’ll be fun to watch the Major League in the morning too.

└Ha……. Watson and Scott are all leaving. What about the Jaguars? The core hitter and the number one starter are leaving ㅠ

└But you have Choi Woo-jin now. I think he’ll be able to handle the starting rotation without any problems.

└No matter how promising Choi Woo-jin is, it’s impossible for him to take on the number one starter right away.

└Anyway, I don’t know about the other things, but go Scott! Dominate the Major League and come back to Korea later.