As time goes by, more and more votes are against it. The team, which had voiced its opinion that it should comply with the rules by 2025, is also changing its position. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and 10 teams are expected to start discussions on salary cap system from 2024.
Salary caps are the total annual salary of players who rank among the top 40 players (including down payment and incentives). The baseline is 11.4 billion won (14.24 million dollars), and any team that crosses this baseline will be subject to sanctions. If the player crosses the baseline for the first time, he or she will be fined 50 percent of the excess. If the player crosses the baseline for the first time in a row, he or she will be fined 100 percent of the excess. Then, the penalty will drop by nine notches in the first round. If the player crosses the baseline for three consecutive times, he or she will be fined 150 percent of the excess and the rookie of the first round will drop by nine notches. The baseline will be maintained for three years from 2023 to 2025.
KBO confirmed after receiving the total amount of payment for the 2023 season from the club after the Korean Series on the 13th of last month. After completing the confirmation process, it also made an official announcement on the 20th.
No club has exceeded its salary cap in 2023. This is a foregone conclusion. Since last winter, all the teams have tried to match the total annual salary of the top 40 players at 11.4 billion won (14.7 million U.S. dollars) or 26.38 million won (24.7 million dollars).
Up until 2022, one year before the implementation of the salary cap, three teams – SSG, Samsung and NC – had crossed the baseline. The SSG in particular exceeded the baseline by 13.4 billion won (14.6 million U.S. dollars). However, this is the result of deliberately collecting and paying the annual salaries of the players in 2022. In 2023, we have set a plan that can be lowered below the baseline.
The 2023 result was different again. Lotte and Hanwha, which had ample room for salary caps, played big roles in the FA market, and the number of high-paying players increased accordingly. Last winter, Lotte recruited three foreign FA players including Yoo Kang-nam (four years worth 8 billion won), Noh Jin-hyuk (four years worth 5 billion won), and Han Hyun-hee (three plus one year maximum of 4 billion won). The total annual salary of the top 40 players has risen from 7.69 billion won (6.37 million won or 7.68 million dollars) in 2022 to 10.64667 billion won in 2023.
Hanwha also saw its team’s annual salary increase significantly from 5,095 million won (5.6 million U.S. dollars) to 8,531 billion won (6.37 million dollars). The amount that it recruited Chae Eun-sung (up to 9 billion won for six years) and Lee Tae-yang (up to 2.5 billion won for four years) last winter was included. And this winter, Ahn Chi-hong and Ahn Chi-hong signed for up to 7.2 billion won (6.37 million dollars) for four plus two years. Adding one more player to this, the team will likely become closer to the baseline. While seeking to recruit Ryu, chances are high that the team will become closer to the baseline when recruiting Ryu.
The baseline is about 11.4 billion won, but six clubs have exceeded 10 billion won. In this situation, more and more voices are calling for the salary cap system to be opposed or revised. One of the opposing teams made the same argument in January 2020, when the salary cap system was finalized. At the time, the team’s general manager Lee voiced his opinion, saying, “We created a strange system without any understanding of the salary cap system.”
strictly speaking, the KBO League is not a salary cap system based on U.S. professional sports. In the case of the NFL, NBA, and NHL, which implement the salary cap system, players can be recruited in a state that exceeds the salary cap standard. In the case of the soft cap format of the NBA, there are several exceptions, but basically, a team must lower its salary below the standard to recruit a large FA.
In the case of the Major League, the CBT system is not a salary cap system but a complex balance tax (CBT) system. CBT also has a baseline and imposes sanctions if it crosses the baseline, which basically does not impose restrictions on recruiting players. KBO is closer to CBT than salary cap.
Whether it is salary cap or CBT, it is clear why American professional sports are implementing this system. First of all, it systematically prevents the concentration of top players on a team. In addition, it creates a foundation for the league to maintain a surplus and operate stably. Since the baseline is set according to the profits of the league and the club, if this baseline is followed well, the club can operate stably.
KBO, however, is a deficit league. Most of the clubs receive more than 20 billion won (approx. It is absurd to implement a salary cap system to operate a surplus when there is no profit.
Of course, the club wanted this. In January 2020, when the salary cap system was finalized, he said, “If we turn the clock back to or before, we cannot afford the increased ransom of players due to FA contracts.” Before the salary cap system, he claimed 10 billion won, or 8 billion won, in the size of FA contracts.
Considering the position of the board of directors (presidential meeting), which is a higher-level organization of the executive committee, it is understandable. Most of the team’s presidents are dispatched from the parent group. They are closely connected to the parent group and are financed for the team’s operating expenses. As a president, it is best to invest less and get big results. 랭크카지노
However, no one has been the president of the club since the salary cap system was signed. The KBO president is also a different person from then. The voices of the general managers demanding the revision or abolition of the salary cap system cannot be ignored.
One of the key topics of the executive committee over the weekend was salary cap. “There were a lot of suggestions to have a steady discussion,” said a KBO official who was sitting with the heads of the team. “There will be continued discussions on salary cap starting next year. So at the moment, we don’t know if salary cap will continue through 2025 as we first planned. Given the current mood, we have at least room for discussion.”
It is expected to continue the salary cap system until 2024. The key is 2025. There may be changes in 2025 depending on what conclusions are drawn by the 2024 executive committee. The more votes against the current system, the higher the probability.