Us Pitcher Sues Ex-club in Korea Over Unpaid Buyout

An American pitcher is taking his former South Korean club to court in a contract dispute.

Josh Lindblom has sued the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), seeking US$200,000 in a buyout that he claims the club failed to pay in 2017, said the player's attorney, Kim Gyeong-young, on Saturday.

Kim said Lindblom had wanted to settle the case with the Giants but chose to take legal action as the team refused to find the middle ground.

Lindblom, currently pitching for another KBO club, the Doosan Bears, made his South Korean debut with the Giants in 2015 on a $900,000 deal.

After going 13-11 with a 356 ERA in 210 innings, Lindblom signed a new deal for 2016 worth $1.2 million.

The Giants also had an option for the 2017 season at $1.4 million.

But in 2016, the right-hander came up short of matching his numbers from the previous season. He was 10-13 with a 528 ERA.

Instead of picking up an option for $1.4 million, the Giants offered him a new deal worth $900,000.

Since the Giants had declined to exercise the earlier option, Lindblom sought a $200,000 buyout that he thought he was due.

The Giants countered that their $900,000 offer included the buyout figure.

But that means the Giants were actually offering Lindblom $700,000 in guaranteed salary, and that would have been in violation of the KBO rules on foreign player contracts.

The league stipulates that a team intending to re-sign a foreign player must make an offer worth at least 75 percent of the previous deal.

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