The LG Twins announced Thursday that they have re-signed KBO superstar Austin Dean to a one-year, $2 million contract. The deal represents the highest annual salary ever given to a foreign position player in KBO history. Mel Rojas Jr. and Guillermo Heredia each earned $1.8 million in 2025 with the KT Wiz and SSG Landers, respectively, to tie the previous record.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dfn22Q_D2HT/
It was a well-deserved contract for the veteran Dean. The 33-year-old former MLB outfielder led the KBO with a 1.062 OPS, ranked third in home runs with 41, third in RBIs with 127, fifth in batting average at .331 and third in doubles with 34. He also finished second in Wins Above Replacement at 8.39. Despite the team being plagued by injuries, Dean helped lead the LG Twins back to the postseason and is a finalist for the 2026 KBO MVP award.
Before moving to the KBO, Dean played parts of five seasons in MLB from 2018-22 and spent 10 seasons in the minor leagues. He appeared in 126 career MLB games, posting a .676 OPS with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs. After being unable to establish himself as a consistent regular in the major leagues, Dean moved to the KBO in 2023 and immediately became a force for the LG Twins.
In his first season, Dean posted an .893 OPS with 23 home runs and 95 RBIs. He took his game to another level in his second season. In 2024, his OPS jumped to .957, while he hit 32 home runs and drove in 132 runs. Dean followed that up with another strong campaign in 2025, hitting 31 home runs and driving in 95 runs while posting a .988 OPS. He also helped lead the LG Twins to a Korean Series championship.
In 2026, Dean took another leap forward, establishing himself as one of the league’s top players and putting himself firmly in the MVP conversation.
After a lengthy career in the United States, Dean has established himself as one of the KBO’s elite players and a legend in LG Twins history. He will look to help lead the team back to a Korean Series championship in 2027.