All the specific terms of the contract for Shintaro Fujinami (29), who signed with Oakland after challenging the major leagues, have been revealed. It is a clause that includes formidable incentives in addition to the basic salary. However, some point out that it is practically difficult to receive all the incentives.
Fujinami, who became famous as the best rival of Shohei Ohtani (29‧ LA Angels) in high school, chose to challenge the major leagues after the 2022 season after repeating ups and downs for a long time. Posting System (Private Competitive Bidding) Shortly before the deadline, he signed a contract with Auckland and achieved his will and stood on a new starting line.
Fujinami is guaranteed a basic salary of 3.25 million dollars (about 4 billion won) for one year. Considering that his performance over the past three years has not been particularly special, the general opinion is that it is not a bad contract. Incentives are included here. It was initially known as $1 million, but according to a report by the Associated Press on the 15th (Korean time), there are more hidden bonuses that can reach up to $1.55 million (approximately 1.9 billion won).
It is a contract with an incentive of almost 50% of the guaranteed amount. As with any incentive contract, if you want to win a lot, you have to throw a lot healthy and, crucially, get into the starting rotation. This is because many of them are in the starting lineup.
According to local reports such as the Associated Press and NBC Sports, Fujinami receives $100,000 each for 5, 8, and 15 starts. She and she get an additional $150,000 each for her 13th start and her 18th start. When she starts 22 and 25 games, she receives an additional $200,000 each. The total incentive for her start is $1 million.
It’s up to Fujinami. Oakland’s starting rotation isn’t that strong. Every year many players move in and out of the starting rotation. This is because it is difficult to recruit a top-notch starting pitcher due to the size of the team’s finances, and good starting pitchers are often sold through trade. 메이저놀이터
For this reason, Auckland’s recent trend has been to secure as many starting candidates as possible at an affordable price. Fujinami and Drew Luchinski, who played in the KBO League until last year, are also part of the same recruitment.
If he stands out from spring training and establishes himself in the starting rotation, it is not impossible to make 25 starts. On the contrary, since there are many resources to use, if you slip even once, you may be eliminated from the rotation. This is why Fujinami’s early season is so important.
However, other incentive provisions are evaluated as not easy to obtain in practice. Upon becoming the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), he receives an additional $100,000 bonus. The second place MVP is $75,000 and the third place is $50,000. I bet the same amount on 1st to 3rd places in the Cy Young Award voting. If you win the World Series MVP or Silver Slugger, you can earn $100,000 each, and if you are selected as an All-Star, you receive an additional $50,000.
I can’t say for certain, but it’s clear that the possibility itself is slim. To top up the total amount of incentives ($1.55 million), you have to win both the MVP and the Cy Young Award, the World Series MVP, Silver Slugger, and All-Star.
In the case of star-level, large free agents, this type of clause is often inserted into incentives. However, there are actually not that many cases where MVP or Cy Young Award incentives are offered to players with low total annual salaries like Fujinami. The rookie award, which might be more realistic, has no incentive. Realistically, what Fujinami can aim for is, of course, innings. Japan’s Chunichi Sports also diagnosed that “receiving all incentives is not realistic.”