Shin-Soo Choo Reportedly Agrees to Contract with KBO's SK Wyverns

Free-agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is reportedly going back to Korea to continue his career.

On Monday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News and Dan Kurtz reported Choo will sign with the team most recently known as SK Wyverns for an annual salary of approximately $2.4 million. The team will reportedly change names after Shinsegae Group bought the club from SK Group.

The 38-year-old spent the last seven seasons with the Texas Rangers while playing out a $130 million contract. He made his lone All-Star team with the club in 2018 but largely failed to live up to the billing of his massive deal.

The 2020 season saw Choo miss nearly half the COVID-19-shortened season due to injury, and he struggled when he was in the lineup, hitting .236/.323/.400 with five home runs and 15 runs batted in.

However, the South Korean does not want the 2020 season to be his last and is hoping for at least one more full season before retiring. 

"Just thinking about myself, maybe I really want to play," Choo told reporters. "I don't want to finish my career like this. First of all, I can still play this game. What I have done, a couple more years, I can still do it."

While he won't be playing in the major leagues, Choo isn't far removed from being a significant power threat. He launched more than 20 home runs three straight seasons for the Rangers from 2017 through 2019 and will look to continue being an offensive force in Korea.

He played for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland, Cincinnati Reds and Rangers in the majors from 2005 through 2020.