Major League Trade Rumors (MLBTR) said on the 6th (hereinafter Korean time), “The San Diego Padres have agreed to a minor league contract with FA right-hander Wilmer Font.” that,’ it was reported.

Font played an ace in 2021 and last year at SSG. Last season, he appeared in 28 games and threw 184 innings, going 13-6 with a 2.69 earned run average, 0.95 WHIP, and 0.207 batting average. It is no exaggeration to say that he dominated the KBO mound.메이저사이트

Of course, SSG was preparing to renew the contract with Font. However, after winning the Korean Series, it was reported that he actually rejected the offer to renew the contract by conveying his intention to challenge the major leagues to the club. After marking 8 wins and 5 losses and an average ERA of 3.46 in 25 games in 2021, Font succeeded in renewing the contract in 2022. In 2021, the ransom price has risen significantly from a total of $1 million ($150,000 contract fee, $850,000 annual salary) to $1.5 million ($200,000 contract fee, $1.1 million annual salary, $200,000 incentive).

If he re-signed this year, it is a two-year performance award that could reach up to $2 million in total. However, he unexpectedly ended up staying on a minor contract, not a major one.

The minor league contract, also called the so-called ‘split contract’, sets the salary separately for being included on the opening roster in the major leagues and for going down to the minor leagues. Even if you succeed in entering the major leagues, the annual salary is usually between $1 million and $2 million.

According to a report by the AP on July 31 last year, the minimum annual salary in the minor leagues on a weekly basis is $400 for rookie, $500 for single A, $600 for double A, and $700 for triple A. In the case of Triple A, the minimum annual salary is 168 million dollars for 24 weeks of play in a season. In fact, the average annual salary for each class of 6,060 minor league players last year ranged from $4,800 to $14,000.

When rejecting the KBO club’s offer to renew the contract and challenging the major leagues, you must have solid grounds and confidence. Then, why did Font boldly choose to challenge the major leagues? Even if he signs a minor league contract, is he confident of being promoted to the major leagues?

It is in stark contrast to Drew Luchinski, from the NC Dinos, who signed a major league contract with the Oakland Athletics on the 22nd of last month in the form of a ‘1+1 year’. Luczynski received a $3 million salary this year and a $5 million club option for 2024. He is conditional on receiving up to $8 million over two years.

The reason why the local evaluation of the font is low seems to be because the period of being active as an ace in SSG is short to be sure of its consistency. Luczynski maintained the force of the ace without missing a rotation for four years in NC. On the other hand, it is safe to say that the font actually played a ‘sparkling’ role last year.

MLBTR said, ‘The font that made a strong impression as a starting pitcher in Korea can deepen San Diego’s rotation depth. He will have to contend with Adrian Morejon, Ryan Weathers, Jay Groom, Pedro Avila, Julio Teheran and Aaron Brooks for a spot in the rotation.”

According to MLBTR, San Diego has completed a five-man rotation that includes Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell, Nick Martinez, and Seth Lugo. San Diego, which used a six-man rotation at the beginning of last season, may need a sixth starter, so it can be seen that it has recruited a large number of candidates this winter, including Font, Teheran, and Brooks.