29-year-old Song Seong-mun bids for the Major Leagues, not insisting on a contract clause for minor league refusal rights

The 29-year-old third baseman from KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes attended the Korean Baseball Retired Players Association event today. He is now bidding via the posting system to take on MLB. Song openly stated that he hasn’t seen any definite interest from teams so far and is waiting for the MLB Winter Meetings to unfold, with the remaining 10 days being critical. He also mentioned he is not fixated on including a "minor league refusal right" clause in his contract.

According to Yonhap News, Song said, “The minor league refusal right is unnecessary. If I insist on including that clause, I might not make it to the U.S.” However, he also won’t accept a minor league contract. He has set expectations for the contract size and will not respond to offers below that threshold.

When Korean players like Ryu Hyun-jin, Kim Hyun-soo, and Yoon Seok-min challenged MLB in the past, their contracts included the minor league refusal right, which often limited the number of interested teams. Not insisting on this clause allows more negotiation flexibility. For example, Kim Hye-seong started in the minors after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers and was promoted to the majors in May 2025.

This season, Song Seong-mun played all 144 games for Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO, hitting 26 home runs and driving in 90 runs with a 0.917 OPS. Although his contract was extended mid-season through 2031, he is eager to challenge MLB, and Kiwoom Heroes have agreed to initiate the posting process. It is relatively rare for a 29-year-old corner infielder in the KBO to use this system to pursue MLB opportunities.