▲ Outfielder Kim Jae-hwan poses after signing a free agent deal with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization club on Dec. 17, 2021, in this photo provided by the Bears. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

baseball-player

Bears retain free agent outfielder Kim Jae-hwan

SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Yonhap) -- The Doosan Bears retained the former KBO MVP Kim Jae-hwan with a lucrative free agent deal Friday.

The Bears said Kim has agreed to a four-year contract worth up to 11.5 billion won (US$9.69 million), including 5.5 billion won in total salary and signing bonus each.

In his 14-year career with the Doosan Bears, Kim has had 201 home runs, 1,008 hits and 722 RBIs in 987 games, batting .296/.385/.537.

The 33-year old slugger was awarded the 2018 regular season MVP title, with the league-leading 44 home runs.

Kim is one of the two Doosan players to hit the open market this winter along with outfielder Park Kun-woo, who earlier signed a six-year deal worth 10 billion won with the NC Dinos.

He thanked the Bears for believing in him and vowed to do his best in the coming years, saying, "I've never thought of teams other than the Bears."

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