"Choo Shin-soo has decided to retire after finishing his professional baseball career for the last time in 24 seasons."

After graduating from Busan High School, Choo entered the Major League with a batting average of 27.5 percent in 1,652 games during his 16 seasons (2005-2020), with 218 homers, 782 RBIs, 961 runs scored, and 157 steals OPS.824. Choo, who showed the best performance in the Major League among Korean fielders, left the Major League in 2020 and entered the KBO League. In Korea, he recorded a batting average of 266 percent (325 hits in 1,252 at-bats) in 361 games during the three seasons (2021-2023).

Choo, who led the team to its first Korean Series championship since its name was changed to SSG last year, posted a disappointing performance this year with a batting average of 254 (97 hits in 382 times at bat) of 12 homers, 41 RBIs, 65 runs scored and six steals OPS.777 in 112 games. SSG also ranked third in the league with 76 wins, three draws and 65 losses, and lost to fourth-ranked NC (75 wins, two draws and 67 losses) in the semi-playoff, leaving a disappointment.

"My family and I agonized a lot during the off-season. Whenever that happened, I could see SSG, fans' support and, more than anything else, younger players. As such, I felt that I had a great love for baseball and the team, so I agonized over my team and future career together. The team and the new coach needed me and respected my opinion. Next year's performance is important, but I want to contribute to the team by sharing my experiences and thoughts while training with younger players at Futures League anytime, depending on the team's situation," Choo said.

Choo Shin-soo, who earned 2.7 billion won in annual salary in his first year at SSG and broke the record of being the No. 1 player in Korean professional baseball at the time, renewed his annual salary of 2.7 billion won in 2022 and received 1.7 billion won this year. This year's salary was reduced by 1 billion won compared to last year, but it still recorded the highest annual salary among players except FA and non-FA multi-year contractors.

Choo, who received the highest treatment every year, made the decision to sign a contract with the lowest annual salary of 30 million won (30 million won) next year. As he expressed his intention to donate even 30 million won in total, he will hold the season practically without pay next year. "In the process of discussing his career path with the club, Choo recently announced his decision to retire after the end of the 24th season, and his intention to donate the minimum annual salary (30 million won) and the entire salary to the club. While respecting Choo's opinion, SSG also decided to join the club's donation activities. The exact amount of donation and various donation activities will be disclosed later," he said, revealing his plan to donate at the club level along with Choo.

Regarding Choo's annual salary donation, an SSG official said, "30 million won might not be a big amount. However, he decided to donate the entire amount in return for the love he received through baseball. He wanted to end his career with a meaningful season." The team will also join in the effort and announce the donation when the plan is completed.

Regarding Choo's minimum salary, SSG explained, "We decided to receive the minimum salary as Choo gave consideration to the team's management. The team is also very grateful for this. Thanks to this, we have expanded our salary cap, player's salary, and FA."

The KBO League introduced the salary cap system from this year. The maximum salary cap applied until 2026 is KRW 11.426.38 billion. As of March 7, SSG ranked first in the league with a team annual salary of KRW 9.482 billion (excluding newcomers and foreign players), and is already close to the salary cap. Under these circumstances, SSG was able to breathe thanks to Choo Shin-soo, who received KRW 1.7 billion in annual salary, deciding to receive the minimum salary.

An SSG official said, "Choo Shin-soo is not a money player. The club had a lot of worries, but many problems were solved thanks to Choo's decision." The club has a wider scope of management. The club is also very grateful that Choo understands the team's situation and makes a decision. I plan to give him respect that he deserves." 온라인카지노

Choo is considered the best hitter in Korean baseball history. Naturally, fans are paying keen attention to what kind of moves he will take after retirement. Many also predict that Choo will take the path of a leader. "We haven't talked about anything concrete yet. However, since he has died in baseball and lives in baseball, he may have in mind to become a leader," said an SSG official. "I understand that he is focusing on completing next season well."