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Sports EdgeJOHNNIE BLUEApril 30, 20262 min readAd-free
Three Korean Position Players Post to MLB in $30M+ Combined Deals
The KBO-to-MLB pipeline is rotating through its 2025 class at eight-figure valuations, quietly pricing Korean talent higher than Japanese non-Ohtani comps.
Korean position players are clearing **$10M** per deal with term, pricing them above Latin American comps and forcing MLB clubs to treat KBO as a premium market.
$23M USD
) contract this week
$13M
deal with the Padres
$30M
a figure that would have been unthinkable for Korean…
1.004 OPS
in his final KBO season
Roh Si-hwan signed an 11-year, 30.7 billion won (approximately $23M USD) contract this week, while Song Sung-mun agreed to a $13M deal with the Padres, continuing the eight-figure valuation cycle for Korean position players entering MLB. A third posting this window brings the combined guarantee north of $30M, a figure that would have been unthinkable for Korean non-pitchers five years ago.
The deals arrive as MLB clubs recalibrate their international scouting budgets around a now-reliable KBO talent stream. Roh, a left-handed outfielder with 1.004 OPS in his final KBO season, commanded the 11-year term because of age—he is 23, meaning the contract buys out arbitration years and reaches into his age-34 season. Song, a 27-year-old second baseman, took shorter money but higher AAV at $13M over what league sources suggest is a four-year structure. The Padres, who previously signed Ha-Seong Kim to a $28M deal in 2021, are treating Korean infielders as underpriced relative to comparable Latin American signees.
What matters is the price floor. Korean position players are no longer $5M fliers; they are $10M+ commitments with term, which changes how teams allocate international budgets. The KBO posting system, which charges a 20% release fee paid to the player's former team, means a $23M contract carries a $4.6M surcharge—raising Roh's all-in cost to $27.6M. That is still cheaper than comparable MLB-developed talent in arbitration, but it is no longer cheap enough to bury in a scouting budget. Family offices sizing minority MLB stakes should note: international acquisition costs are rising faster than domestic amateur costs, which are hard-capped under the current CBA. The smart money is flowing toward KBO and NPB access, not High-A affiliates.
The KBO pipeline is also compressing timelines. Roh and Song both posted within 72 hours of their teams' season endings, a coordination suggesting pre-negotiated framework deals before official posting windows opened. League sources say at least two more KBO players—both pitchers—are expected to post before December 15, when MLB's roster freeze begins. If they clear $10M combined, this posting class will exceed $40M in guarantees, making it the richest Korean class in history excluding Hyun-Jin Ryu's original $36M Dodgers deal in 2013.
Watch for how the Padres structure Song's opt-outs. Ha-Seong Kim's deal included performance escalators tied to All-Star appearances; if Song's contract carries similar clauses, it signals Korean agents are now demanding parity with Japanese posting deals, which routinely include vesting options and award bonuses. Also watch for whether the two expected pitchers—one is rumored to be a left-handed starter with mid-90s velocity—push total class value past $50M. That would force MLB to revisit whether the 20% posting fee is suppressing bids; the KBO has floated raising it to 25%, which would kill momentum.
The Padres signed Song the same week they missed on Roki Sasaki, who chose the Dodgers. Korean talent is now the Plan B for teams that lose Japanese sweepstakes.
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