Choo Shin-soo, 41, who was devastated by the departure of his best friend Kim Kang-min (Hanwha), has decided to retire honorably after the 2024 season. He wants to give back to his fans after a 23-year career that spanned the United States and Korea.
SSG Rangers (CEO Min Kyung-sam, hereinafter SSG) announced that Shin-soo Choo has decided to retire from professional baseball after the 2024 season. In particular, while discussing his future with the team, Shin-soo informed the team of his decision to retire after the 24th season, as well as his intention to sign a minimum salary contract (30 million won) and donate his entire salary to the team.
“During the off-season, I thought about it a lot with my family. Every time I did, I saw SSG, the fans’ support, and most importantly, the junior players in front of me.” “I felt that I loved baseball and the team so much that I thought about my future with the team,” he said, explaining how he had been thinking long and hard about whether to extend his career or retire.
“Both the club and the new manager needed me and respected my opinion. Next year’s results are important, but depending on the team’s situation, I would like to contribute to the team by training with the junior players in the Future Team and sharing my experiences and thoughts.”
In fact, new SSG Landers head coach Lee Seung-yong personally contacted Choo Shin-soo to ask him to extend his active career after Kim Kang-min made a shock move to the Hanwha Eagles through the second round of the draft.
When Choo was considering retiring from active duty, Lee explained, “I told him that I needed him as a player and as a teammate to bring the team back together.” “I honestly told him about my current difficulties and asked him to help me,” he said.
In response to Lee’s request, Choo Shin-soo was named captain for the 24th season. Considering that Chu has a wealth of experience and leadership, as well as a lot of respect from the players, Lee offered him the captaincy for next year, which he accepted.
Behind Choo’s decision to extend his contract and accept the captaincy is a desire to restore order to a squad that has been in turmoil since the shock transfer of Kim Kang-min, the team’s franchise star, through the second round of the draft and the subsequent resignation of the head coach. 월카지노
According to a person familiar with SSG’s situation, “Choo Shin-soo was very shocked after the transfer of Kim Kang-min, who was his best friend at the same age.” “He was so heartbroken that he only shed tears for a few days immediately after the transfer, and even when asked by coach Lee Seung-yong to repair the chaos in the squad, he said, ‘I’m so shocked that I can’t think of anything right now,’ and asked for concessions.”
The careers of Choo Shin-soo and Kim Kang-min were unfortunately intertwined when one of them was shockingly transferred to another team at the last minute, but as the same age and oldest players born in 1982, they showed a strong bromance while playing together in SSG.