Seoul: Doosan Bears catcher Yang Eui-ji will earn a record 4.2 billion won (US$2.8 million) this season, becoming the second highest-paid player in Korean baseball, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Wednesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Yang's pay marks the highest behind the 8.1 billion-won record set in 2022 by SSG Landers pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun, according to salary data released by the KBO ahead of the 2026 season opener. The 38-year-old veteran signed a four-plus-two-year free agent deal worth up to 15.2 billion won with the Bears in November 2022. His pay has climbed sharply from 300 million won in 2023 and 1.6 billion won last year.
Yang also set a league record for the largest single-year pay increase, rising 2.6 billion won from 2025, breaking the SSG Landers' right fielder Han Yoo-seom's 2.22 billion won jump in 2022. He further surpassed the mark for the highest salary by a player in their 21st professional season, previously held by the Landers' Choi Jeong at 1.7 billion won.
KT Wiz pitcher Ko Young-pyo will be the league's second-highest-paid player at 2.6 billion won, followed by Choi Jeong (2.2 billion won). Hanwha Eagles' Ryu Hyun-jin and Lotte Giants' Park Se-woong are tied for fourth at 2.1 billion won each.
The average salary of the 529 registered domestic players in the KBO this season, excluding rookies and foreign athletes, rose 9.1 percent from last year to a record 175.4 million won. Among clubs, the Landers topped the list in both total player salaries at 12.47 billion won and average pay per player at 207.8 million won, followed by the Bears, LG Twins and the Wiz in the top four.
Among foreign players, Kia Tigers pitcher James Naile will receive the highest salary at $1.8 million. Of the 30 foreign players, 20 are from the United States, followed by Venezuela with five, the Dominican Republic with three, and Cuba and Panama with one each, the KBO said.