TODAY: Park can earn up to $1MM annually in incentives, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports on Twitter. They begin to kick in at the 400 plate appearance threshold, he adds.
YESTERDAY: The Twins have officially struck a four-year, $12MM deal with Korean first baseman Byung-ho Park that includes a $6.5MM club option ($500K buyout) for the 2020 campaign. Minnesota will pay Park $2.75MM annually for the deal’s first two seasons and then $3MM apiece in 2018 and 2019.
Park, 29, is a client of Alan Nero and Octagon Baseball. A deal was said to be highly likely as he traveled to the U.S. this week. Minnesota had won the rights to negotiate with the KBO star after promising a posting bid of $12.85MM to his now-former club, the Nexen Heroes. The Twins’ total commitment, then, will be just under $25MM.
In the end, Park’s guarantee will beat that of former teammate Jung Ho Kang by just $1MM. On the other hand, Nexen will clear over $7MM more in the more recent posting transaction. Park was only able to negotiate with one team through the KBO posting process — which is different from the new rules applicable to Japan’s NPB. Though Park could also have chosen to wait to come over until the winter of 2017-18, when he would have officially become a free agent, that would have taken away his chance to play in the majors for his late-prime years.
Park increasingly reached the MLB radar after two straight seasons in which he put up massive numbers in the hitter-friendly KBO. When Kang successfully transitioned to the bigs, the stage was set for Park to follow.
The right-handed-hitting slugger blasted 53 long balls and turned in a rather productive .343/.436/.714 slash line last year. While nobody expects that to carry over directly, scouts have said that his power is real. Indeed, one told MLBTR’s Steve Adams that there’s “no doubt” he’ll deliver pop in the majors while praising his athleticism. Park is also said to be a solid gloveman at first.
For the Twins, it seems that Park will likely see most of his time at first base and in the DH slot, possibly sharing both positions with Joe Mauer. Minnesota still needs to decide how to get Miguel Sano in the lineup; slotting him at third could dovetail with a trade of Trevor Plouffe, or the organization could roll the dice that he’ll transition well to left field. Regardless, the investment in Park suggests that he’ll be expected to receive fairly regular at bats.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the signing on Twitter. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported the total guarantee via Twitter. And MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweeted the option.
Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins communications department.
Very good deal. Even if he’s a bust, they wouldn’t have lost that much compared to investing a fortune into a player of Chris Davis’s caliber and ends up contributing nothing.
man he would have easily got that money in KBO…hopefully he does it well and gets amazing contract after 4 years !
KBO salaries are way lower than that. For the 2014 season (last numbers I could find) only ONE player cracked the equivalent of $1million.
Suk Min Park who is pretty good just signed a contract 9.6mil for 4 years. He is good, but not as good as Park Hyung HO
Wow, for whatever reason I guess I was expecting $7-8m/yr. He doesn’t have to be very good to be worth $3m/yr. Very low-risk contract with the potential to be a ridiculous bargain if he turns out to be any good.
Hey! I got this one right! Helps to have the bidding process before the contest deadline.
wasnt everyone saying 30-40 millions for for years? so if he is has 2 WAR (.5 war per year) over the next for years he makes it a good contact what a deal
hard to actually feel sorry for a guy who’s about to get paid 12 million to play baseball…. but considering that’s less money then his former team gets just to get out of his way and let him pursue his dream, i kinda’ do…
this is a great deal for the twins, but the system really stinks for these KBO players right now. Park would probably have been underpaid at twice this….
They’re not slaves. I cant believe you feel sorry for a millionare
No way he puts up the same numbers against MLB pitching
Well obviously. If he hits 53 bombs at at .343 clip in MLB, give him the MVP right now! I would say 20-30 hrs while hitting .260-.280 and drawing a fair amount of walks would be realistic and quite productive at that.
if he does that making 3 million a year by far the steal of the free agency
You got that right!
Twins are a great organization. This is the perfect deal for them. They get a power bat for five years (that option will probably vest if things work out) at a contract that Byung Ho Park can easily live up to. They also have resoruces to fill some other holes this offseason (bullpen?) as Hunter’s contract came off the books through retirement. It’s not a finished product yet, but I definitely like where this team is headed!
Average salary in the MLB is over 4mil… This seems like a sweet deal for the twins.
What a great contract for Minnesota. His numbers will take a dive but he’s almost guaranteed to be as good as that contract, betting is he’ll out perform it easily.
This feels like the Twins made Park a “take it or leave it” offer.
Nah look at Kang’s contract.
Angels need to snag plouffe, he fits in at 3rd
You’re wrong.
Guys that was just a joke. =)
I am very disappointed that the Rockies didn’t get this guy for that price. A tad over $6 MM per year is less than the Rockies spent on both Cuddyer and Morneau in recent years.
The Twins paid nearly $25 million for Park but no one seems interested in the KBO mvp, Eric Thames. Doesn’t that seem odd?
Thames already had his shot at the show.
Thames would probably be near replacement level as he’s bad defensively or would not hit well enough to DH. KBO is probably equivalent to AA ball.
His scouting report seems to indicate he was above average at 1st and good enough in left. If his pop translates similar to Kang, he’d be a 20 hr player with everyday playing time… Also he’s a lefty. Left handed power is pretty scarce.
Thames is under contract through next year. Presumably he’ll return to the states as a FA in 12 months.
So much for Kennys Vargas
The second coming of David Ortiz? I think minnesota should not give up on him but he has a major roadblock for playing time now. Twins are suddenly loaded with positional talent, it’s great to see!
I hope so.
Damn, if my bro’s-in-law who have seen B-H P’ play for the Heroes many a time are correct, then the Twins have got themselves a hell of a good player.
This will be worth watching. His team mate at Nexen was Jung Ho Kang, who obviously did much better in the majors this past season than most expected. Kang’s fielding, arm and general utility is at a higher level, but Park’s offence is that much better than Kang’s – which is seriously saying something given that Kang is arguably the Pirates’ 2nd best bat after McCutcheon. Funny story about Hurdle asking “if Kang hit in the 5 spot in Korea, I’d like to see who hits 3 and 4”. Well, if the schedule makers cooperate, Mr. Hurdle will get his chance. Park hit cleanup for Nexen. He’s unofficially credited with the longest HRs ever hit in the KBO as well as in Japan’s iconic Tokyo Dome (the latter hit recently during the finals of the Premier 12):
522 ft HR – link to youtube.com
Tokyo Dome record HR – link to youtube.com
Money says his power translates here and the Twins will have themselves a bargain. Biggest hurdle will be adjusting – like, to everything. And at this level, if you don’t adjust fast, you may not get another chance, fair or not. Kang got lucky that way. Injuries to those ahead of him on the depth chart gave him the early opportunity to prove himself. Looks like the Twins are intending to use Park from the get go. DH will be an excellent spot for him.
I can’t get over the potential value of this contract.
Assume you mean how potentially undervalued Park might be…?
Didn’t realize the incentives bit. Still a bargain I think. I mean given what Kang has done over a season, Park should have been de-risked to some extent. Surprised pricing wasn’t adjusted more. Nexen made out far better.
I mean he really doesn’t have to be that good to be worth $3m. If you use that $4m per WAR estimation he’d be worth his contract if he averages .75 WAR per season for the life of the contract! I think this will turn out to be a great signing.
So excited about this deal. Huge bargain. If he produces only half of last year, he will still hit 25 home runs. Awesome