Giving up the top treatment in the KBO league and signing a minor contract. It is a breakup that is difficult to understand.

The destination of pitcher David Buchanan, whose contract with the Samsung Lions was not renewed, has been confirmed. On the 14th (Korean time), the Major League Baseball Philadelphia Phillies announced, “We have signed a minor contract with right-handed pitcher Buchanan, and he will participate in the Major League Spring Camp as an invited player.” Detailed contract terms were not revealed. For Buchanan, it is a comeback to his hometown team. He received his professional assignment from Philadelphia, where he played before venturing to Asia. And he returned to his former team after about 9 years.

When announcing their split, Buchanan explained why he made the video, saying, “As you know, me and my family are not going back to Samsung this season. I wanted to come back and I thought about retiring from Samsung. But unfortunately, it didn’t work out.” Buchanan continued, “It was never an easy decision. It was a really difficult decision,” and “But I wanted to let you know how much you mean to us.”

“Words cannot describe the love you give to our family from the first day we are here to the last day,” Buchanan said. “Our children grew up there. They grew up in that environment and in that culture. Words cannot describe.” “He expressed his gratitude.

Buchanan emphasized, “It wasn’t an easy decision, and it still weighs heavily on my heart.” “We wanted to let you all know about our appreciation and love for the memories you have given us over the past four years.” Buchanan said, “We wish you the best and you will always have a special place in our hearts. We will never forget you.” “I hope to see you again someday.”

Buchanan finally showed his affection for Samsung, saying, “There will always be blue blood flowing through my body.”

Due to the failure of his final contract with Buchanan, Samsung replaced all three foreign players with new faces. The foreign pitching positions were filled by right-hander Connor Gibold ($1 million) and right-hander Day Reyes ($800,000). The newly replaced foreign hitter was infielder David McKinnon, who hit the $1 million mark.

Samsung also filled the void by doing its best to find replacement players before it was too late. However, it was quite a surprise that Buchanan signed a minor contract. Samsung also knew that there were offers from major league teams when negotiating with Buchanan. There were also rumors that Buchanan was offered multiple-year contracts by some teams. A multi-year contract is a Major League contract. In that case, there is a big difference between the amount that KBO league teams can offer and the amount of money. If Buchanan wants to stay with Samsung and is concerned about his willingness to try again in the Major League or the difference in the size of his contract, it would be understandable that negotiations are slow.

However, if it’s a minor contract, it’s a different story. In the case of a one-year minor contract, it’s hard to get a lot of money even if he has a good career. It’s not known exactly how much Buchanan negotiated with Philadelphia yet, but it’s likely to be lower than the terms suggested by Samsung.

Samsung was planning to give Buchanan the best treatment among foreign players in the 2024 season by signing an official multi-year contract for the first time in the KBO league. Buchanan’s 2023 season salary was up to $1.6 million, but if he re-signed this year, he was likely to become the highest paid non-player this season. If he is guaranteed by a multi-year contract, the total amount of coverage will be much larger. Even with a two-year contract period and $1.7 million in annual salary, the contract could have been worth more than 4.5 billion won.

The conditions are more stable than minor contracts. If Buchanan had stayed at Samsung, he could have continued to play as an ace and focused on pitching in comfortable conditions, but Philadelphia will have to compete as an invited player starting with spring training. If he survives the tournament and gets a chance to be called up to the big leagues and increases the number of pitches, the conditions will be much better. However, as he starts with a minor contract, he is likely to be back in the vortex of competition under more difficult conditions. 안전놀이터