Former Texas Rangers All-Star Choo Shin-soo brings impressive major league credentials to his new South Korean club, but he left his ego back in the United States before arriving in his homeland on Thursday. Choo on Tuesday signed a one-year deal worth 2.7 billion won (US$2.4 million) with the SK Wyverns, a club soon to be renamed after recently being sold to Shinsegae Group. Choo is expected to bat near the top of the order and play a corner outfield position, as he did for most of his 16-year

Former major league All-Star outfielder Choo Shin-soo is coming home. Choo has signed with the new Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club to be owned by Shinsegae Group, the retail giant announced Tuesday. Shinsegae will take over the SK Wyverns from the mobile carrier SK Telecom, with the new club name and uniform to be unveiled sometime next month. Shinegae said Choo agreed to a 2.7 billion-won ($2.4 million) contract and that he has offered to donate 1 billion won of that to charity. Choo'

Major League Baseball (MLB) has checked on the availability of South Korean free agent pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong, league officials here said Monday, a move indicating newfound interest in the left-hander. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said MLB tendered a status check on Yang last Friday and that it informed its US counterpart that Yang is a free agent and may sign with any big league club. Under an agreement between MLB and the KBO, a major league team interested in a South Korean player

All participants in spring training for South Korean baseball have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, the league office announced Monday. Spring training for the 10 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) clubs began across the nation on Monday. And the league announced in the evening that 776 players, 255 coaches and managers, and 692 team officials -- 1,723 in total -- all tested negative. The KBO mandated pre-camp testing for all players, coaches, trainers and front office staffers, plus

Searching for a new nickname after purchasing a professional baseball club, South Korean retailer Shinsegae Group said Monday it has applied for a trademark on a name inspired by its home appliance shop. Shinsegae said it has sent in a trademark application for Electros, taken from its Electro Mart chain. Shinsegae acquired the SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in a surprise deal announced last Tuesday. E-Mart, the country's biggest discount store chain run by Shinsegae, will

The morning low temperature dipped to double digits below freezing in Seoul and some other regions of South Korea on Friday, a day after parts of the country were blanketed in snow. This could only mean one thing. It's time for baseball's spring training. The 10 clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will open their camps on Monday. The term "spring training" is almost a misnomer here, because spring doesn't officially start until Tuesday and the mercury is expected to stay b

South Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group said Tuesday it will acquire a professional baseball club owned by SK Group as it seeks to boost marketing with the sports team. E-Mart Inc., the country's biggest discount store chain run by Shinsegae, has agreed to buy the SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) from SK Telecom Co., the country's largest mobile carrier, for 135.2 billion won ($122 million). The deal includes acquisition of SK Telecom's 100 percent stake in the Wyverns as

When it comes to playing for fans, Hong Won-ki, recently named the manager of the South Korean baseball club Kiwoom Heroes, doesn't want his players just to talk the talk. He'd like to see them walk the walk with their action on the field. Hong, who was promoted from bench coach to manager last Thursday, was formally introduced on Monday in a ceremony streamed on the club's YouTube channel. The former player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) first joined the Heroes as a scout in 2008 and

About two weeks before the start of spring training across the league, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has been rocked by its latest gambling scandal. The Doosan Bears on Tuesday asked the KBO to place two of their minor leaguers, pitcher Jeong Hyun-wook and catcher Kwon Ki-young, on the inactive list, for engaging in illegal betting activities. Once placed there, they must be reinstated by the league commissioner before they can play again. Though the latest incident involved little-kn

The 2020 South Korean baseball champions NC Dinos announced Monday they've signed former big league pitcher Wes Parsons. The Dinos said they signed the 28-year-old right-hander to a one-year deal worth up to US$600,000. He will make $320,000 in salary and $80,000 in signing bonus, and can earn up to $200,000 incentives. The Dinos have now completed their foreign player signings for 2021, having earlier retained starter Drew Rucinski and outfielder Aaron Altherr on new one-year contracts. Th

  The South Korean baseball club Doosan Bears announced Friday they will bring back veteran shortstop Kim Jae-ho on a new three-year deal. The Korea Baseball Organization club said Kim has agreed to a three-year deal worth 2.5 billion won ($2.3 million). He'll make 1.6 billion won in salary and 900 million won in signing bonus. Kim, 35, became a free agent, for the second time, this winter. After debuting with the Bears in 2008, Kim first entered the open market in 2016 and re-signed wi

The new head of South Korean professional baseball said Tuesday he will prioritize running a safe 2021 season during the coronavirus pandemic while also putting together an improved product on the field. Chung Ji-taik, a 70-year-old executive with the business conglomerate Doosan Group, was introduced as the 23rd commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) that day. In his inauguration ceremony held at the KBO headquarters in Seoul, Chung said the KBO faces "a series of tasks&qu

Once the South Korean star infielder Kim Ha-seong completes his reported move to the San Diego Padres, he will have to prove his considerable offensive talent and athleticism on defense will translate against hard-throwing big league arms. MLB.com and other US media reported Monday (local time) that Kim has agreed to a deal with the Padres. Financial terms of the contract, which is pending a physical, weren't immediately available.  Kim was posted for Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs on

With at least one major league offer in tow, the posted South Korean All-Star shortstop Kim Ha-seong departed for the United States on Monday with his deadline to land a big league deal fast approaching. A-Spec Corporation, the Seoul-based agency for the Kiwoom Heroes‘ slugger, confirmed an earlier report that Kim left for the US on Monday. Kim, a 25-year-old coming off his first 30-homer season, was posted on Dec. 2. Under the terms of the posting agreement between the Korea Baseball O

The Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Wednesday they have signed former major league hitter Jose Pirela. The team said the Venezuela-born Pirela signed a one-year deal worth up to $800,000, including a guaranteed salary of $500,000 and a signing bonus of $100,000. He can make up to $200,000 in incentives. Making his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2014, the 31-year old went .257 with 17 homeruns and 82 RBIs in 302 big league games for the Yankees, San Diego Pad