300 Million to 1.4 Billion Miracle? "Look closely. There are more good pitchers than Shirakawa."

300 Million to 1.4 Billion Miracle? "Look closely. There are more good pitchers than Shirakawa."

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With just 300 million won, you can make a 1.4 billion won player? The key is intelligence.

The KBO will implement the "Asian Quarter System" for foreign players from the 2026 season. The KBO held the first board meeting in 2025 on the 21st and finalized the implementation plan related to the Asian Quarter System.

The Asian Quarter, which had been under constant discussion since last year, has finally confirmed the grand prize as "all Asian nationals (based on the nationality of the Asian Baseball Federation BFA) and Australian nationality players." There have been many discussions over whether to include or exclude Australia, the Oceania continent, and it has been included as a result.
Recruitment of dual nationality players with nationality of non-Asian countries is not possible and is limited to one player who was a member of the Asian League immediately before or in the relevant year. The position of the player is irrelevant.

However, the salary cap is different compared with the existing foreign player system. Currently, the maximum annual salary for a new foreign player is 1 million dollars including transfer fee. Foreign players in the Asian quarter will be limited to 200,000 dollars including transfer fee, down payment and option. The player can be paid up to 20,000 dollars per month. When renewing contract, the player can raise 100,000 dollars every year.

This will open the era of having four foreign players in the KBO League in earnest. It will not be implemented immediately this year, but will be implemented from next year (2026) considering the preparation period.

Some were skeptical. Realistically, they are asking how many good players they can recruit. A scout said, "Players who played in the U.S. who paid 900,000 dollars to 1 million dollars now have a good chance of success in Korea. Realistically, 300 million won (300,000 dollars) and how many good players they can bring from a third country can be brought in. When recruiting foreign players, additional expenses are incurred in addition to annual salary. Interpreters are also required to be hired separately, and support people who live in their homes and other places. This is because foreign players have to be matched at a similar level outside their annual salary."

However, most say it is not a loss-making business. As the KBO expands the number of its first-team entries by one (from 28 registered players to 26 registered players to 29 registered players) due to the introduction of the Asian quarter, it does not pose a significant threat to existing players. In addition, majority of the respondents say that 300 million won is not a large amount of money from the perspective of running a club, and that the composition of the team can be expanded from a new perspective.

Scouts and clubs said, "The more we see, the better players we will see. Unlike the existing foreign player system, the Asian quarter system will be a battle for information and scouting."

The focus of the clubs is mainly on young players in their 20s who have high-quality skills in Australian professional baseball, other Asian leagues, and Japanese independent leagues. A scout said, "If you go to the Japanese independent league, there are some very high-quality players. When I went there and saw them in person, I saw players who thought, 'That player seems to be worth trying in the professional KBO league?' The independent league's Keisho Shirakawa, who showed good performance in SSG Landers last year, is a good example, but when I went to the independent league game, I could see players with more skills than Shirakawa."

He also cited the advantage of being able to strengthen the bullpen with foreign pitchers. Currently, the 10 teams have two starting pitchers and one batter in the foreign player lineup, which is limited to three players. It is very rare for a team to have two batters and one pitcher like the Kiwoom Heroes this year.

In particular, two pitchers will be selected as starters. In the past, some teams have chosen "foreigners' finishing" but failed to show much effect, and they say that once the Asian quarter system is implemented, finding a "quality bullpen" will be less burdensome. Since it is possible to change to an official foreign player, it is also possible to naturally nurture foreigners if Asian quarter players are recruited at a relatively low cost and perform well. 스포츠토토

Of course, the competition for survival is intensifying for domestic players. Even if the number of entries increases by one spot, the competition is actually intensified because the main members who can participate in the game are decided.

However, the Asian quarter system is a very interesting attempt. It is expected that foreign players with nationality and type that have never been seen before will be able to attract foreign players, and that promising players who are in their early to mid-20s can be introduced in particular. From now on, success or failure of each club will depend on which country and how to recruit promising players that other teams have failed to find.