Lotte's Jeong Cheol-won Plunges From 21 Holds to 3 Holds… Salary of 180 million won, Uniform No. 65
Lotte's Jeong Cheol-won, who racked up 21 holds in his first year after the trade, has managed only 3 holds in 2026. His salary rose 50% to 180 million won, and his uniform number is still 65.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Summary in Three Lines
- Jeong Cheol-won has a 1-2 record, 3 holds and a 6.75 ERA in 34 games in the 2026 season (as of 2026.08.09).
- In 2025, his first year after the move, he was a key part of Lotte's bullpen with 75 games, an 8-3 record, 21 holds and a 4.24 ERA.
- His 2026 salary is 180 million won and his uniform number is 65, and he has been dropped from the first-team roster for the fourth time this season.
August 5. Jeong Cheol-won's first-team roster stretch was cut short once again. According to the KBO's roster-days table, his first-team stays this year began on March 28 and were split into four stretches, the last running from July 21 to August 5. It is interpreted that his name has dropped off the roster again since August 6. At this time last year, he was a pitcher who had piled up 20 holds in the first half alone.
Jeong Cheol-won's Salary of 180 million won: A Season After a 50% Raise
Money moved with performance. According to Kyunghyang Shinmun Sports' report on the Lotte Giants' announcement of their 2026 contract renewals, Jeong Cheol-won's salary for 2026 was set at 180 million won. That is an increase of 60 million won, exactly 50%, from 120 million won in 2025.
His signing bonus was 100 million won. That was the starting line for a player taken by Doosan in the 2018 rookie draft, in the second round of the second-stage selection, 20th overall. Eight years later, his salary is 1.8 times that bonus, but the stat line for his first season at that salary reads 3 holds.
3 Holds vs. 21 Holds: Putting the Two Seasons Side by Side
There is one question. Is this a one-season slump, or has his stuff itself declined? Since Lotte acquired him by trade to strengthen the bullpen, the answer changes how the rest of the season is planned. Year-by-year stats based on official KBO records are below (as of 2026.08.09).
| Season | Team | Games | W-L | Holds | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Doosan | 58 | 4-3 | 23 | 3.10 |
| 2023 | Doosan | 67 | 7-6 | 11 | 3.96 |
| 2024 | Doosan | 36 | 2-1 | 1 | 6.40 |
| 2025 | Lotte | 75 | 8-3 | 21 | 4.24 |
| 2026 | Lotte | 34 | 1-2 | 3 | 6.75 |
The evidence for a temporary slump is 2024. After collapsing with a 6.40 ERA, he bounced back the following year with 75 games and 21 holds. The evidence on the other side is his opportunities. He went from 75 games in 2025 to 34 this year, and his ERA rose by 2.51, from 4.24 to 6.75. The key is whether he returns to a setup role once he is back on the first team.
2026 KBO Holds Rankings: Jeong Cheol-won Is Off the Top-30 Table
Lining him up against the whole league makes Jeong Cheol-won's standing even clearer. His 21 holds in 2025 ranked 8th in the league, and his 23 holds in 2022, when he won Rookie of the Year, ranked 6th. A pitcher who was inside the rankings has disappeared from the table altogether this year. The top of the list looks like this (as of 2026.08.09).
| Rank | Player | Holds | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kim Jin-seong | 17 | LG |
| 1 | Sugimoto | 17 | KT |
| 3 | U Gang-hun | 16 | LG |
| 3 | Lee Seung-min | 16 | Samsung |
| 5 | Jo Sang-woo | 13 | KIA |
| - | Jeong Cheol-won | 3 | Lotte |
Jeong Cheol-won's 3 holds do not put his name on the top-30 table. He is 14 behind co-leaders Kim Jin-seong and Sugimoto (17 holds) and 10 behind 5th-place Jo Sang-woo (13 holds). With 18 gone from last year's 21 holds, that is an 86% drop in a single year.
That is why the trade of November 22, 2024 is being brought up again. Yonhap News reported that the deal at the time was a swap of Lotte's Kim Min-seok, Chu Jae-hyeon and Choe U-in for Doosan's Jeong Cheol-won and Jeon Min-jae. Jeon Min-jae (27), who came over with him, is batting 0.272 this year with 86 hits and 8 home runs, holding down a starting infield spot. In June, when manager Kim Tae-hyung (58) sent him down to the second team, he said, "I wanted to give him about ten days to recharge."
Jeong Cheol-won's Uniform No. 65, Lotte in 8th Place and 40 Games Left
His uniform number did not change after the trade. According to the KBO's official player page, Jeong Cheol-won's number at Lotte is No.65, the same number he wore at Doosan. Born on March 27, 1999, he is a 27-year-old right-handed reliever who throws and bats right-handed and stands 192cm and weighs 95kg. He joined Doosan in 2018 and made his first-team debut in 2022, when he set a new record for most holds by a player in his debut season with 23 and won Rookie of the Year.
The KBO team standings show Lotte in 8th place as of August 9, at 99 games, 43 wins, 54 losses and 2 ties, with a winning percentage of 0.443. They are 2.0 games behind 7th-place NC and 5.5 games ahead of 9th-place SSG. With about 40 games left, filling one bullpen spot bears directly on the standings race. In the season in which he got a 50% raise, the holds he has to show for it number 3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How much is Jeong Cheol-won's salary?
His salary for the 2026 season is 180 million won. The figure was disclosed when the Lotte Giants announced on January 22 that all 73 players had completed contract renewals, and it is up 50% from 120 million won in 2025. His signing bonus was 100 million won.
Q. What is Jeong Cheol-won's uniform number?
According to the KBO's official player page, it is 65. He kept his Doosan number even after being traded from Doosan to Lotte in November 2024.
Q. How old is Jeong Cheol-won, and what is his profile?
Born on March 27, 1999, he is 27 years old by international age, a 192cm, 95kg right-handed pitcher who throws and bats right-handed. He joined Doosan in the second round of the second-stage selection (20th overall) of the 2018 rookie draft, won Rookie of the Year in 2022, and has played for Lotte since 2025.
Related Official Sites
- KBO Official Records - Jeong Cheol-won — You can check game-by-game appearance records and roster days directly
- KBO Official Team Standings — Lotte's ranking and games behind are updated daily
- KBO Official Website — Check league announcements such as schedules and roster changes
Cover image · Graphic = Whale SV · Background photo = Wikimedia Commons (Cheolstar), CC BY-SA 3.0
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