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Eagles sign free agent slugger Kang Baek-ho

Published: 20 Nov. 2025, 18:11

New Hanwha Eagles player Kang Baek-ho poses in the team's jacket after signing a four-year contract with the KBO club on Nov. 20. [HANWHA EAGLES]

The Hanwha Eagles signed coveted free agent slugger Kang Baek-ho to a multiyear deal on Thursday, making a big splash in a relatively thin market.

The Eagles said Kang, 26, agreed to a four-year contract worth up to 10 billion won ($6.8 million). Kang received a signing bonus of 5 billion won and his total salary over the duration of his contract will be 3 billion won, with another 2 billion won in incentives.

Kang, who throws right and bats left, has spent his entire eight-year career in the KBO up to this point with the KT Wiz, who made him the first overall pick at the 2017 draft.

Kang lived up to his hype by winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2018, when he smacked 29 home runs and drove in 84 runs.

He has been a decent source of power since then, though he has not yet matched that home run total from his rookie campaign. Kang earned Golden Glove awards at first base in 2020 and 2021 as the best overall player at his position, after starting his KBO career as a corner outfielder.

Considered a defensive liability both in the outfield and at first base, the former high school catcher began spending more time behind the plate in 2024. He caught 169 2/3 innings last year and 32 2/3 more this year.

The injury-prone player missed more than half of the 144-game season in 2022 and 2023. He appeared in all 144 games last year and put up 26 home runs with 96 RBIs, but was limited to 95 games this year while seeing his production dip to 15 homers and 61 RBIs.

Despite the off-year in 2025, Kang was still considered the best of the crop in this year's free agency, given his age and his utility as a versatile defender.

Kang had designs on taking his talent to MLB. He had even scheduled a showcase for MLB scouts in the United States but canceled it so that he could sign with the Eagles.

Kang Baek-ho, while playing for KT Wiz in 2022, roars in celebration after hitting an RBI in the sixth inning of a league-ending tiebreaker with the Samsung Lions at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu. [NEWS1]

The Eagles, the Korean Series runners-up last month, cleared some cap space this week by letting go of two unproductive and expensive veterans, infielder An Chi-hong, with a 500 million won salary this year, and pitcher Lee Tae-yang, who was on 270 million won.

The Eagles said they wanted to strengthen their offense during the offseason and Kang will be a new threat in the heart of the lineup alongside their right-handed slugger Roh Si-hwan, who hit a career-high 32 homers this year.

Kang thanked the Eagles for recognizing his value and for allowing him to continue his career "in a good environment."

"Now that I am joining a team coming off a good season, I will join forces with my new teammates and help the Eagles become an even better team," he said.

Kang admitted that if he ended up staying put in the KBO, returning to the Wiz was his priority.

"But I had a strong feeling that the Eagles wanted me badly," he said. "I want to make sure the Eagles won't regret their decision to sign me. I will try to do the best I can and earn the love and respect of fans."

Kang said he has some good friends on the Eagles and he had heard great things about the team well before he signed.

"I always thought this was a team that had a great mix of veterans and young players," he added. "I also felt the fans here are really passionate."

Kang, who made 700 million won with the Wiz this year, fell into Class A among free agents because he ranked in the top three in salary on the Wiz and top 30 in the league.

By signing Kang, the Eagles must pay the Wiz twice the amount of his previous salary and send a player not on its protected list in compensation, or pay the Wiz three times the amount of his previous salary.

Son Hyuk, the Eagles' general manager, said he'd met with Kang to make an offer on Wednesday and the two sides finalized the contract Thursday afternoon.

Son said he was aware of Kang's desire to move to MLB, but it didn't keep him from at least pitching an offer.

"He was someone we felt we really needed, and we scheduled a meeting with him to give our best shot," he said. "And he ended up accepting our offer. He is the rare left-handed power hitter who can make our lineup really dangerous."

Son said he will leave it to manager Kim Kyung-moon to determine Kang's defensive position.

Moments after losing Kang, the Wiz announced their signing of free agent catcher Han Seung-taek to a four-year deal worth 1 billion won.

Han, 31, made his KBO debut with the Eagles in 2013, and went on to play for the Kia Tigers from 2016 to 2025.

He has mostly been a backup catcher, having appeared in more than 100 games just once in his career. In 2025, Han batted .238 in 15 games with one extra-base hit.

The Wiz said they valued Han's defense and ability to throw out runners.

Yonhap