KBO asks MLB to post All-Star slugger Roh Si-hwan

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 31 (Yonhap) -- The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Saturday it has asked Major League Baseball (MLB) to post the South Korean league slugger Roh Si-hwan.

Roh's KBO club, the Hanwha Eagles, asked the KBO earlier in the day to post Roh, and the South Korean league office asked MLB to inform its 30 teams of Roh's availability.

Under an agreement between the two leagues, once a KBO player is posted, any of the 30 MLB clubs can negotiate a deal with that player within a 30-day window.

That negotiating period begins at 8 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) the day after MLB clubs are officially notified, and will close at 5 p.m. ET on the 30th day.

Roh, 25, has been among the KBO's top sluggers in the past handful of years.

A third overall pick by the Eagles in the 2018 draft, Roh made his KBO debut the following year.

In 2023, Roh exploded for his then-career high 31 home runs and 101 RBIs in 131 games to finish as the runner-up in the regular-season MVP voting, after managing just six homers and 59 RBIs in 115 games the previous year.

Two years later, Roh blasted 32 homers and matched his career high with 101 RBIs while playing in all 144 games and stealing a career-high 14 bases.

This year, Roh overcame a slow start to put up 29 home runs and 96 RBIs in 127 games.

He also captained South Korea to the gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September.

Since 2023, Roh ranks second in the KBO with 116 home runs and 387 RBIs, and eighth with an on-base plus slugging of .863.

Primarily a third baseman, Roh has also played first base.

Prior to the 2026 season, Roh signed an 11-year contract worth 30.7 billion won (US$22.9 million), the longest and the most lucrative deal in KBO history. It will take effect in 2027.

As part of the agreement, the Eagles said they would allow Roh to be posted for MLB teams after the 2026 campaign. If Roh does end up in MLB, he and the Eagles also have a deal in place where he has pledged to rejoin the KBO team upon returning to the South Korean league.

If Roh signs with an MLB club, that team must pay the Eagles a "release fee," depending on the guaranteed portion of Roh's contract.

The release fee is 20 percent of the first US$25 million and 17.5 percent of the amount exceeding the next $25 million. For instance, if a player signs for over $50 million, then his former KBO team will receive 20 percent of the first $25 million ($5 million) and 17.5 percent of the next $25 million ($4,375,000), plus 15 percent of the amount exceeding $50 million.

If Roh cannot land a deal within his 30-day period, then he may not be posted again until Nov. 1, 2027.