The SSG club announced on the 14th, "Choo Shin-soo has decided to retire after finishing his active career at the end of the 2024 season."
"I had a lot of thoughts during the offseason with my family," Choo said through his club. "Whenever I did, I couldn't help but see SSG fans cheering for me, and most importantly, younger players. I felt that much love for baseball and the team, so I agonized over my career path with the club."
He then said, "The club and the new coach needed me and respected my opinion. Next year's performance is important, but I want to contribute to the team by sharing my experiences and thoughts while training with junior players in the Futures team at any time depending on the team situation."
Since then, Choo has created the perfect connection for a beautiful exit from the KBO League, starting with his retirement decision, determining the minimum salary, donating the entire amount of his salary, and appointing a team captain. The minimum annual salary in the KBO League is 30 million won, which is certainly not appropriate for the master of the name Choo Shin-soo. However, he decided to make a drastic cut in order to help reduce the salary cap of the SSG team that he worked with in Korea and manage the team.
Choo's annual salary for this season was 1.7 billion won (1.57 million U.S. dollars). When Choo declared the minimum salary, he cut 1.67 billion won (1.54 million dollars). This is the second largest annual salary cut in the history of the KBO League. First, Lee Dae-ho, Choo's best friend, saw his annual salary cut by 1.7 billion won (1.54 million dollars) from 2.5 billion won (2.42 million dollars) in 2020 to 800 million won (820,000 dollars) in 2021, the highest ever in the KBO League history.
The SSG club said, "Choo Shin-soo's minimum salary is a deep consideration for the team's management, and the club is very grateful for it. Thanks to this, the club can expand its operations in salary cap, player's annual salary, and FA."
Choo Shin-soo also decided to donate. Park Chan-ho, who previously signed with the Hanwha Eagles in December 2011, received a minimum annual salary of 24 million won and donated 600 million won, including a guarantee amount of 400 million won and an option of 200 million won, to the Amar Baseball Development Fund. The SSG club explained, "Choo Shin-soo also expressed his intention to donate his minimum annual salary. The club also decided to join the donation to add meaning to the player's sincere moves."
Earlier, Choo voluntarily cut his annual salary of 2.7 billion won (2.7 million U.S. dollars) from one billion won (1.7 million dollars) this year during the pre-season contract process. In addition, Choo planned various fan services to repay fans' love and support during the retirement season and delivered them to SSG. He intends to exchange his final greetings with fans while presenting presents for his missing autograph and a special signing event during the season. "It is time to end my 23-year baseball career," Choo said. "Since it is the last season, I would like to present meaningful memories to fans regardless of their home or away fans."
This is not the first time that Choo has done a good deed. When he was in the Major League, he donated a large amount to the baseball team of Chungju Sacred Heart School, a special school for the hearing impairment. When he signed a contract with SSG in 2021, he immediately donated 1 billion won out of 2.7 billion won per year to his alma mater in Busan and the amateur baseball team at SSG Incheon, and presented baseball supplies to players who were younger than him in the team. In addition, Choo has donated 2.4 billion won (2.3 million U.S. dollars) in total over the past three years, including supporting the rehabilitation of Ma Dong-hyun, an martial arts fighter who was paralyzed from the waist down, along with making donations to the local community every year.
In particular, Choo Shin-soo's Dream Landing Project was the most notable preceding activity. The project was about Choo's willingness to help children land safely in their dreams. The Dream Landing Project led to Choo's "delivering baseball scholarships" to his alma mater, the "Dream Stadium Project" to support the expansion of training infrastructure for youth baseball players in Incheon, and the "Dream Study Room Project" to support the improvement of the learning environment for underprivileged children in Incheon.
At the time, Choo Shin-soo said, "Since I was in the United States, I wanted to create a better environment and opportunity for children who are future protagonists," adding, "It was difficult to practice it while staying in another country, but when I came to the KBO League this year, I decided to donate."
"My alma mater has been a strong support until I am where I am now. I also want to lay the groundwork for the growth of my alma mater juniors," he said. "I also hope it will help create an environment where children in Incheon, where the team is based, can exercise and study to their fullest extent." The dream landing project was a success and was praised for providing practical help to aspiring baseball players. As such, Choo has always been at the forefront of Korean baseball and the local community.
Choo will then wear the captain's armband next season at the behest of new coach Lee Sung-yong. Lee reportedly recommended Choo as captain, saying he has abundant experience and leadership and is highly respected by the national team.
Choo's retirement has added sacrifices. It is a "Choo Choo Train" that is preparing to say good-bye to SSG, which seeks to recreate the glory of wire-to-wire victory, and fans who cheered for him.
Meanwhile, Choo Shin-soo played in a total of 1,652 games in the Major League, recording a batting average of 0.275 (1,671 hits in 6,087 at-bats), 218 home runs, 782 RBIs and 157 steals.
In the KBO League, he is expected to post a batting average of 0.260 (325 hits in 1,252 times at bat) in 361 games, 49 homers and 168 RBIs over the past three years. Notably, Choo will set a milestone of 2,000 hits in Korea and the U.S. if he adds four more hits in next season.
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