Austin Dean Signs Record $2 Million Deal to Stay With LG Twins

Austin Dean will return to the LG Twins for a fifth Korea Baseball Organization season after signing a one-year, $2 million contract, the richest annual salary ever awarded to a foreign hitter in KBO history.

LG announced the agreement on Thursday, November 12, keeping the 33-year-old first baseman at the center of its lineup for 2027. The deal raises the league’s salary ceiling for foreign position players after Mel Rojas Jr. and Guillermo Heredia shared the previous record of $1.8 million.

A record deal after a record season

Dean earned the new benchmark with the most productive season of his four years in Seoul. He played all 144 regular-season games in 2026 and batted .331 with 180 hits, 41 home runs and 127 RBIs.

His 1.062 OPS led the KBO. He ranked third in hits, home runs and RBIs, and fourth in batting average. The 41 homers also established a new LG single-season record and made Dean the first player in franchise history to reach 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons.

The $2 million salary is a record for a foreign hitter but not for any foreign player. Former Doosan Bears ace Dustin Nippert still owns that mark after earning $2.1 million in 2017. Dean is the first foreign position player to reach the $2 million threshold.

LG keeps its proven offensive anchor

Since joining the Twins in 2023, Dean has compiled a .320 average, 644 hits, 127 home runs and 449 RBIs across 539 regular-season games. No KBO player has produced more homers or RBIs over those four seasons.

He won Golden Gloves at first base in 2023 and 2024, led the league with 132 RBIs in 2024 and has developed into one of the KBO’s most durable middle-of-the-order hitters.

Dean said through the club that he was happy to spend a fifth year with his LG teammates and thanked the organization for the contract. He also said the support from fans remained vivid after a disappointing finish to the 2026 season and that he was looking forward to playing in the club’s new ballpark in 2027.

For LG, the deal removes its biggest offensive uncertainty early in the offseason. The Twins retain the hitter who has anchored their lineup for four years, while Dean enters 2027 with a salary that reflects both his KBO production and his place in franchise history.