Yahoo Sports and the Associated Press has information on Jung Ho Kang’s salary breakdown and bonus structure. Kang signed a four-year, $11 M deal last Friday with the Pittsburgh Pirates, including a $5.5 M option for the 2019 season and a $250,000 buyout on that option.
Kang will receive $2.5 M per year in 2015 and 2016. He will receive $2.75 M in 2017 and $3 M in 2018. As for the performance bonuses, he could earn those based on plate appearances each year under the following structure.
**$75,000 for 475 plate appearances
**$100,000 each for 500, 525, and 550 plate appearances
**$175,000 for 575 plate appearances
**$200,000 for 600 plate appearances
That means if Kang becomes a full-time starter by 2016, he could earn up to $2 M more in bonuses from 2016-2019, which would be well worth the price if he is good enough to be a starter. He also can be reimbursed a maximum of $50,000 annually by the Pirates for round-trip business class tickets for his family from South Korea to the U.S., and he will be reimbursed up to $5,000 per year for shipping and other costs. The Pirates will also provide him with an interpreter.
The Pirates have also agreed to release Kang at the end of his contract, which would make him a free agent in 2020. That’s standard for players coming over from Japan, and in this case would mean that the Pirates wouldn’t get Kang’s sixth year of team control.
