New Foreign Pitcher at $406,000 vs. Ahn Jung-yeol's 61 Million Won Salary… Fact-Check on KT Debut

The pitcher KT signed is Davis Daniel, not "Daniel Marte." Ahn Jung-yeol, who shows up in the same searches, is a catcher for NC, not KT, and his 2026 salary is 61 million won.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-Line Summary

On July 30, 2026, KT signed right-hander Davis Daniel for a total of $406,000 for the remainder of the contract period.
Ahn Jung-yeol's 2026 salary is 61 million won, and he was born on September 1, 1995, making him 30 years old.
As of August 13, KT is in first place in the league at 60 wins, 38 losses and 2 draws, with a winning percentage of 0.612.

The foreign pitcher KT brought in last November was on a $950,000 total deal: a $200,000 signing bonus plus a $750,000 salary, about 1.4 billion won. The player who now fills that spot is worth $406,000. That is less than half. The name is also different from the one circulating in search bars.

Davis Daniel's total contract is $406,000, less than half of Sauer's

Yonhap News reported that on July 30, KT announced it was signing Davis Daniel as a foreign pitcher to replace Matt Sauer for a total of $406,000 for the remainder of the contract period. Edaily also reported the same amount. Sauer, who was pushed out, joined last November on a total deal of $950,000, and was released after posting a 7-5 record and a 4.88 ERA in 18 games in the 2026 season. In August he signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics.

Daniel is a 29-year-old right-hander born on June 11, 1997, in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States. He was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 7th round, 211th overall, of the 2019 MLB Draft and reached the majors in 2023. After a stint with Atlanta, he pitched in 2026 for Louisville, Cincinnati's Triple-A affiliate. According to his official MiLB profile, his MLB career totals are 12 games, 2 wins, 6 losses and a 5.13 ERA, and his minor-league totals are 117 games, 31 wins, 43 losses and a 4.68 ERA. This year at Louisville he went 5-8 with a 4.71 ERA in 19 games. KT general manager Na Do-hyun described him as "a pitcher with strikeout ability and game-management skills built on stable command."

Ahn Jung-yeol's Salary Is 61 Million Won, and He Plays for NC, Not KT

Daniel arrived in Korea on August 1, joined the team the next day, and made his KBO debut as the starting pitcher against NC in Changwon on August 13. He left after 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 home run, 2 runs allowed and 88 pitches, having met the requirements for a win. The team in the opposing dugout that day is Ahn Jung-yeol's own club. Unlike the way searches pair Ahn with KT, according to the KBO official profile, he is a catcher for the NC Dinos. After joining kt wiz in 2014, he was traded to Lotte in 2015, and after serving with Sangmu, he joined NC in the 2022 offseason as a compensation player for No Jin-hyuk's free agency.

Ahn Jung-yeol was born on September 1, 1995, making him 30 years old, and his 2026 salary is 61 million won. His signing bonus was 130 million won. According to official KBO records, his numbers this season are 52 games, a 0.272 batting average, 25 hits, 3 home runs, 14 RBIs and an OPS of 0.787. The "Ahn Jung-yeol injury" searches do not refer to an injury to him. In May 2026, it was reported that starting catcher Kim Hyung-jun's wrist pain led to more starts for Ahn Jung-yeol.

Top 2026 KBO Domestic Player Salaries (as of 2026.08.14)

Rank	Player	Salary	Team · Position
1	Yang Eui-ji	4.2 billion won	Doosan · Catcher
2	Ko Young-pyo	2.6 billion won	KT · Pitcher
3	Choi Jeong	2.2 billion won	SSG · Infielder
4	Ryu Hyun-jin	2.1 billion won	Hanwha · Pitcher
4	Park Se-woong	2.1 billion won	Lotte · Pitcher

According to Scorebase's tally, compared with fellow catcher Yang Eui-ji's 4.2 billion won, Ahn Jung-yeol's 61 million won is about 1/69 of that (4.2 billion ÷ 61 million won). That is the gap between a backup catcher and a top-tier free-agent catcher.

August 14 Game vs. Kiwoom: Daniel's Appearance Unconfirmed

According to the official KBO team standings, KT is in first place as of August 13 at 60 wins, 38 losses and 2 draws in 100 games, with a winning percentage of 0.612, 1.5 games ahead of second-place Samsung (as of 2026.08.13). The opponent for the home game at 6:30 p.m. on August 14 is confirmed to be the Kiwoom Heroes, not SSG. However, as of 14:34 on August 14, when this was checked, the official schedule did not reveal when Daniel's next first-team registration or appearance would be. All stats and standings in this article are based on official KBO records from August 13 to 14.

The new foreign pitcher KT sent to the mound for his debut is worth $406,000, while Ahn Jung-yeol, who shows up in the same searches, is an NC catcher with a salary of 61 million won. Not confusing those two numbers is the whole point of this fact-check.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Ahn Jung-yeol's salary?

According to his official KBO player profile, his 2026 season salary is 61 million won. His signing bonus when he joined was 130 million won.

Q. How old is Ahn Jung-yeol, and what team is he on?

He was born on September 1, 1995, making him 30 years old, and as of 2026 he plays for the NC Dinos, not the KT Wiz. He is a catcher and wears No. 22.

Q. What is the total contract value of the new foreign pitcher KT signed?

KT signed Davis Daniel for a total of $406,000 for the remainder of the 2026 season. That is less than half of the $950,000 given to Matt Sauer, who was released earlier.

Related Official Sites

KBO Official Website — Check original player profiles, salaries and records
KBO Team Standings — Daily team standings and winning percentages
KT wiz Official Website — Club announcements and game schedule
MiLB Davis Daniel Official Profile — MLB and minor-league career stats

Cover image · Graphic = Whale SV · Background photo = Wikimedia Commons (Fetx2002), CC BY-SA 4.0