Rockies Pick Up Kim Byung-hyun’s 2.5M Option

The “Nuclear Submarine” Kim Byung-hyun, 27, is going to play for the Colorado Rockies one more year.

The Rockies announced on the team website on November 3 that they decided to keep him for the 2007 season by exercising the club’s option.

Kim made a deal with Rockies last January, which included a 1.25 million dollar contract for 2006 and a 2.5 million dollar club option for the 2007 extension. As the Rockies exercised the option, Kim will play for the Rockies one more year.

It was also agreed in the deal that the team should pay a penalty of 250,000 dollars to Kim, if it does not want to renew the contract.

jeon@donga.com