Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 36

36. What’s Best for the Player (3)

The first club to approach us was Na Jun-ho’s former team, the Dragons.

Unlike other teams that were just testing the market, the Dragons requested a meeting as early as possible.

We had promised the Buffaloes priority in negotiations, so I tried to adjust the schedule, but Dragons’ General Manager Lim Seung-jin’s determination was too strong.

I could sense the club’s strong desire to keep Na Jun-ho.

And above all, it was impressive that the Dragons’ general manager and operations team leader came to our office in person so early in the morning.

Since the Dragons’ home base is a provincial city far from Seoul, it would have taken about 5 hours to get to our office, even by train.

To arrive before 10 a.m. like they did, they would have had to leave before 5 a.m.

As Kim Min-hwan said a while ago, having the upper hand made things easier in this regard.

“You must be tired from the long trip.”

Lim Ye-ji went to the office entrance and greeted the Dragons’ general manager and operations team leader with a bright smile.

I stood next to her and greeted them as well.

“It’s nothing.”

The four of us naturally shook hands and went into the conference room to sit down.

Information appeared above the heads of the general manager and operations team leader.

-I want to finalize the contract with Na Jun-ho as quickly and surely as possible.

-I’m very tired because I worked late last night and left early this morning.

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the realistic content from the operations team leader, whose dark circles were thick under his eyes.

“Cough, cough.”

I pretended to cough because everyone in the conference room was looking at me.

“Are you okay?”

“I just had a coughing fit. I’m sorry.”

Only after quickly making excuses could I avoid the attention of others.

But seeing the dark circles under the operations team leader’s eyes, I almost burst out laughing again.

I quickly turned my gaze away and tried to think of something else.

It was a funny thing, but I was sad that I couldn’t laugh with others.

“I heard you had dinner with Na Jun-ho recently.”

At Lim Ye-ji’s sudden remark, the general manager’s eyes twitched slightly.

“He’s been with our club since its founding, and he played an important role in winning this year. It was a dinner to thank him for his hard work, separate from this contract.”

“I didn’t ask for any special reason. Thank you for thinking highly of our player.”

The atmosphere became friendlier as Lim Ye-ji replied with a smile.

“Na Jun-ho is a player who has played a really important role in getting our club to where it is today. And he will continue to do so.”

“Of course. I hope it ends with good results.”

Lim Ye-ji still had a smile on her face, but unlike before, her eyes were sharper.

“We have no intention of haggling when negotiating with our team’s ace. We will offer the maximum amount we can offer right away.”

The general manager’s expression even showed determination.

What would be the amount of the Dragons’ first offer, which they said was the maximum?

I swallowed hard with anticipation and nervousness.

“We offer a 4-year contract with a contract fee of 5.5 billion won and an annual salary of 1 billion won.”

A total of 9.5 billion won for 4 years.

Ah…

I let out a faint sigh that only I could hear.

Lim Ye-ji was also lost in thought for a moment without saying anything, so she must have been thinking the same thing as me.

“Um… To be honest, it’s not a completely satisfactory offer.”

Lim Ye-ji opened her mouth carefully, not hiding her disappointment in her expression and tone.

It was not an unreasonable reaction, considering the market’s assessment that it would easily exceed 10 billion won in total.

“We know better than anyone else how much Na Jun-ho is being valued in the market right now. It may not be a condition that is completely satisfactory from the player’s point of view, but I think it has been sufficiently conveyed that we have shown as much sincerity as possible that our club can offer.”

The general manager, who had been organizing his thoughts for a moment, carefully continued the conversation.

“And as you know, we have three more players on our team who will be free agents [players eligible to sign with any team] this season. We must catch them all to maintain our winning power this year.”

“So, the conclusion is that this is the maximum, right?”

“That’s right. Instead, there are no option clauses, and all are guaranteed amounts. In addition, the proportion of the contract fee is more than half, so the player will be able to receive a lot of guarantees.”

The fact that there were no option clauses where the salary is paid only when the contracted conditions are met could be a significant advantage for the player.

In addition, even with a FA contract, the domestic professional baseball salary system has a clause that only 50% of the contracted salary is paid if the player is demoted to the minor league for reasons other than injury.

Therefore, from the player’s point of view, a contract with no option clauses and a high proportion of the contract fee that can be paid immediately rather than the annual salary was advantageous.

The Dragons’ strategy was to increase the amount that the player could be guaranteed because they didn’t think they could give Na Jun-ho the salary that the market was valuing.

“Thank you for the good offer. We have sufficiently confirmed that the Dragons sincerely want Na Jun-ho.”

“Our Dragons are a team with enough power to challenge for the championship again next year if only Na Jun-ho stays.”

I could feel both confidence and desperation in every word of the general manager.

Although there was some regret in the total amount, the fact that the guaranteed amount was high without option clauses and that the team had the power to aim for the championship again next year were positive factors.

But I couldn’t help but compare it with the conditions of other teams.

* * *

The next team to negotiate with was the Buffaloes.

It was hard to get a meeting as quickly as possible.

“CEO Lim, you must be busy meeting with various clubs these days? The Dragons must have jumped in, and other teams seem to be actively targeting him.”

Buffaloes General Manager Choi Min-sung asked Lim Ye-ji, probing her slightly.

“I guess so. He’s such a good player.”

“I guess so. Which team doesn’t need Na Jun-ho?”

When will he get to the point?

“How much do you value Na Jun-ho’s market value?”

I thought he was going to make an offer, but he asked a question in reverse.

“That depends on how much the general manager offers, right?”

Lim Ye-ji was not easily swayed.

The Buffaloes’ general manager lowered his head slightly and coughed once, then raised his head again and looked at me and Lim Ye-ji alternately.

“How about 12 billion won for 4 years? A contract fee of 2.5 billion won, an annual salary of 1.5 billion won, and an option of 3.5 billion won.”

Gasp.

Although there were option clauses and the proportion of the contract fee was small, it was an offer that was 2.5 billion won higher than the Dragons’ offer.

It was a surprisingly aggressive bet.

I barely closed my mouth, which was about to drop open.

“But the option is 3.5 billion won. What are the details?”

“The conditions are not that difficult.”

Before Lim Ye-ji could finish speaking, the Buffaloes’ operations team leader handed us the documents.

“We set it up based on the number of away games, at-bats, RBIs [runs batted in], and home runs. If Na Jun-ho plays as he has been doing, there will be no major problem in meeting the requirements.”

Me and Lim Ye-ji looked at the documents we received and examined the specific conditions.

As the general manager said, the clauses were easy enough to meet if Na Jun-ho did what he had been doing.

“Our side also needs a minimum safety device. But it wouldn’t be good to put pressure on the transferred player, so we have set the conditions related to performance with plenty of leeway.”

“We understand Buffaloes’ thoughts. We’ll discuss it and contact you.”

“And one more thing. Our Buffaloes are a metropolitan team. Wouldn’t it be more convenient for Na Jun-ho to live in the metropolitan area in many ways?”

“I’ll ask Na Jun-ho about that.”

The Buffaloes’ general manager’s expression and gestures showed confidence.

Confidence that it would be a huge offer that could never be ignored, and even a strange sense of pride in being a metropolitan team.

It was annoying because it was in contrast to the general manager’s face, who was struggling in the salary negotiations a while ago.

* * *

After finishing negotiations with the Dragons and Buffaloes, me and Lim Ye-ji were carefully reviewing the data presented by the two clubs.

“What do you think, Hyun-woo?”

Lim Ye-ji put down the data she was holding and asked.

“I personally feel drawn to the Dragons.”

“The Dragons? What’s the reason?”

“Na Jun-ho has a great affection for the Dragons, and if we only look at the guaranteed amount, the conditions offered by the Dragons are not bad.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Lim Ye-ji folded her arms and took a deep breath.

“You were thinking about completely different things than me.”

“Then what were you looking at, CEO?”

“Is there any value in considering the Dragons’ offer in the current situation?”

“Yes?”

I couldn’t hide my embarrassment when I heard Lim Ye-ji speak without any hesitation.

“Let me ask you the other way around. What aspects of the Dragons’ offer have competitiveness?”

“Well, it’s also the team that Na Jun-ho himself wants the most, and I could feel that they sincerely need Na Jun-ho when I talked to the Dragons’ general manager. And Na Jun-ho is definitely loved by the Dragons’ fans.”

I explained the reason for my thoughts without hesitation.

“You’re too much of a humanist right now, Hyun-woo.”

Humanist?

My eyebrows twitched slightly at Lim Ye-ji’s words.

“They say that professionals talk about their value with their salary. We are no different. The only way to prove your worth as an agent is how good of a contract you get for your players. Any other words besides that are just excuses, no matter how reasonable they are.”

A good contract…

Then what kind of contract is a good contract for the player?

“But aren’t the player’s thoughts and feelings also important?”

“Feelings… I’ve talked to many players while negotiating FA contracts, but not a single player has said from the beginning that they want to move teams this time. Whether they have a great affection for the team or not, players are also people, so it’s natural to want to maintain the current situation rather than a drastic change.”

Lim Ye-ji picked up the Buffaloes’ proposal that was on the table.

“But when astronomical sums of money come and go before their eyes, their minds change. Will this time be any different?”

That wasn’t wrong.

The difference between the Dragons’ 9.5 billion won and the Buffaloes’ 12 billion won is,

2.5 billion won.

A huge amount of money that most people can’t even touch in their lifetime.