Rather, because he was a journeyman who moved to many teams, his presence and value as a one-club man became even greater. KIA Tigers general manager Shim Jae-hak (52) awarded his first free agent contract to Tigers franchise star Kim Sun-bin (35).

KIA general manager Shim Jae-hak said in a phone call with Star News immediately after signing the contract on the 4th, "I wanted to keep Kim Sun-bin as our one-club man. The player also said he was grateful that he could contribute to KIA for a long time after completing the contract. I will do my best to win the championship. “I said I would do it,” he said, laughing, “I think it’s meaningful because it’s my first free agent contract as general manager.”

Previously, KIA signed a free agent contract with Kim Sun-bin for a total of 3 billion won, including a contract period of 3 years, a down payment of 600 million won, an annual salary of 1.8 billion won, and options of 600 million won. As a result, Kim Sun-bin signed a second free agent contract with KIA after 2020. “I did it,” he officially announced. It is also the first free agent contract under the Shim Jae-hak regime. Last October, a three-year contract worth a total of 2.5 billion won was signed with catcher Kim Tae-gun (35), but at this time it was a non-FA multi-year contract.

The negotiation process between Kim Sun-bin and KIA was not all smooth. Kim Seon-bin, who graduated from Hwasun Elementary School, Hwasun Middle School, and Hwasun High School, joined KIA with the 43rd pick in the 2nd 6th round of the 2008 rookie draft and was one of KIA's proud one-club men. He wore only the Tigers uniform and played 1,509 games with a batting average of 0.303 (1,506 hits in 4,968 at-bats), 32 home runs, 564 RBIs, 691 runs, 149 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.750. In the 2017 season, he won the batting title with a batting average of 0.370 (176 hits in 476 at-bats) and led KIA to victory in the Korean Series.

Although he was a franchise star who was much loved by fans, the passage of time could not be ignored. As the years passed, he showed signs of disappointment other than his batting average, and the need for a generational change emerged. Naturally, there was a significant difference in the positions of the club and the player during FA negotiations. However, the KIA team, including General Manager Shim, engaged in negotiations by consistently emphasizing that “Kim Sun-bin is an essential player for the team.” Unlike the rumors about external free agents, it was KIA's sincerity to focus only on Kim Sun-bin.

General Manager Shim said, "In order for KIA to achieve good results this season, we decided that with Kim Sun-bin playing as the starting second baseman, other players need a growth process. Therefore, the amount may be disappointing for the player, but I will approach it with my heart as I want to capture it as much as possible. “I tried,” he said.

This winter, Kim Seon-bin spent a lot of time abroad. Because of that, he could not meet often, but Director Shim called Kim Sun-bin's birthday (December 18th) and January 1st was New Year's Day, and took care of it personally. At the negotiation table, he met with Kim Sun-bin's agent at least five times and narrowed the difference in position, showing his sincerity. As the reason for his devotion, Director Shim unexpectedly talked about his time on active duty. General Manager Shim, who joined the LG Twins in the first round of the 1995 rookie draft, went on to play for the Hyundai Unicorns and Doosan Bears before ending his career as a player at KIA in 2008. At that time, if you remember that the KBO consisted of 8 teams, he was a journeyman who wandered around half of the league.

General Manager Shim said, "I was not a one-club man during my active years. Because I played for so many teams, I felt that it was very meaningful for a player to remain a one-club man. Rather than sending such a one-club man (Kim Sun-bin) to another team, "I'm happy to be able to play in the KIA uniform. I feel a little less sorry to the fans (due to the slowdown in various contracts this winter)," he said with a smile.

As a result of both parties working toward one goal, the 'Tigers uniform,' satisfactory contract terms were reached for both parties. Kim Sun-bin was able to receive more guarantees than at the beginning of the negotiation, and KIA succeeded in motivating the player by including options that could not be easily achieved. General Manager Shim said, “The 600 million won option was decided within a reasonable line. He thinks the player can receive it only if he pushes himself.” In the end, Kim Sun-bin was able to remain as the '19 Tigers franchise star' until 2026.

KIA, which has solved the biggest task of the off-season, is accelerating the recruitment of foreign players and signing a contract with Choi Hyeong-woo (41). General Manager Shim said, "We plan to announce foreign players all at once after we are certain. It's not that there is no progress. We are checking their physical condition," and added, "We have also started negotiations with Choi Hyung-woo. We are in the process of narrowing it down. There is a salary cap, so other free agents are available." “I think it will be difficult. If we announce a foreign player and get Choi Hyeong-woo, I think the lineup will be sorted out to some extent,” he explained.