KT and native ace Ko Young-pyo are on a five-year, non-FA multi-year contract worth 10 billion won

KT will sign the first multi-year contract as a non-free agent (FA) since the foundation of Ko Young-pyo (33). The deal will cost up to 10 billion won (approx. The company is working on details including the amount of options. KT plans to finalize the relocation contract.

Ko Young-pyo is the founding member of KT and a franchise star. After graduating from Dongguk University, he was nominated in the second round of the rookie draft in 2014, and became a member of KT. He shared the first unified win in the 2021 season and contributed to his magical journey by ranking second in the last place in the regular season last year. He also played a crucial role in KT's advance to the Korean Series in NC and playoff by playing as a stopper to break consecutive losses. He is an iconic Korean ace in this year's KT "climbing to the top."

"We agreed on a five-year contract period and are coordinating detailed situations including options. We are still negotiating," a KT source said. "We considered the symbolism of Ko Young-pyo the most. He is also a franchise star and shared KT's history as a starting member. We are trying to recognize its value."

In fact, Ko has led the mound with double-digit wins over the past three years. He played the role of ace with 11 wins, 6 losses and an earned run average of 2.92 in the 2021 season, when he was the first overall winner since his foundation, and played his part with 13 wins, 8 losses and an earned run average of 3.26 in 2022. He pitched 174.2 innings in 28 games last year to secure the ace status with 12 wins, 7 losses and an earned run average of 2.78. He became the "10th winning pitcher" in the first three consecutive seasons in KT's history.

In addition, Ko Young-pyo is nicknamed "high quality." He displayed stable pitching by tying for second with 21 quality starts (QS, starting pitchers with more than six innings and less than three earned runs), and 17 QS+ (starting pitchers with more than seven innings and less than three earned runs) last year. He also made strides in his team's advance to the KS by achieving successive QSs in the post season.

Initially, KT reportedly agonized over Ko's multi-year contract as a non-FA after the 2022 season. However, the team failed to make a final decision because the KT Sports CEO position was vacant at the time. Since then, he was involved in a trade scandal with LG, but it was canceled due to happening. And after KT Sports CEO Lee Ho-sik was appointed this year, Ko's multi-year contract went smoothly.

"Ko Young-pyo ranked first in overall contribution to victory (WAR) even when including all foreign pitchers over the past three years," KT's general manager Na Do-hyun said. "The deal ended with five years. In a broad framework, the guaranteed amount has been agreed, and we are working on detailed adjustments regarding options." 스포츠토토