Park Chung-tae (34) is running the risk of "being left alone" this season. Last year, Park was one of the star players of Lotte Giants, one of the pro baseball teams in Korea.
Lotte made public its intention of giving up on Park yesterday. It said, "Further negotiations with Park, a free agent, will not help our players concentrate on training. They have teamed up with new members and should not be distracted."
Thus, if Park fails to sign up a contract with one of the other 7 teams by the end of this month, he has to give up this season, which might lead to his retirement considering his age. Last year, he became a free agent. But no team has made an offer so far. Thus, with the deadline just one week away, it is practically impossible for him to move to another team.
Since last year, Lotte has consistently made it clear that the best it could offer is 600 million won (or approximately $500,000) for two years. On the other hand, Park asked for 1.6 billion won last year for a three-year term. With the offer rejected, he modified and proposed another deal for 1 billion won for 2 years.
Understanding the discrepancies on both sides, it is shocking to hear Lotte declare its abandonment on Park. Park has played for 12 years with Giants ever since 1991. He has dedicated himself to the team, and would not let himself down despite numerous injuries. Most Lotte fans love him for his dedication. In 1999, he set a new record with consecutive hits in 31 games.
For the past two year, however, Park was in the doldrums and has not showed a good performance, losing his team`s trust in him.
In the meanwhile, another free agent of Lottee Kang Sang-soo, a relief pitcher, cut a deal with the team for 400 million won for the next three years.