Baseball fans cheer during the second game of the 2024 KBO League season at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on March 24. Korea Times photo by Park Simon

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced that it will implement an Asia quota system beginning in the 2026 season, increasing the number of foreign players allowed per team from three to four.

At the first board meeting of 2025, held on Tuesday, the KBO revealed the new regulations for the upcoming season. The Asia quota will permit teams to sign players from countries affiliated with the Baseball Federation of Asia and Australia.

However, dual citizens holding non-Asian nationalities are ineligible. Each team may recruit one player who was part of an Asian league either in the previous year or during the current season.

The maximum financial commitment for newly signed players, including signing bonuses, salaries, incentives and transfer fees (excluding taxes), is capped at $200,000 annually ($20,000 monthly). For renewals, player salaries may increase by up to $100,000 per year.

To accommodate the new system, the KBO will expand team rosters from 28 registered players (26 active) to 29 registered players (27 active) per game.

Game 5 of the 2024 Korea Series between Samsung and KIA takes place at KIA Champions Field in Gwangju on Oct. 28. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon

Rule changes to reduce player fatigue

The KBO also announced adjustments in efforts to reduce player fatigue. Starting this year, regular-season extra innings will be shortened from 12 to 11 innings, as the introduction of a pitch clock is expected to increase the physical strain on pitchers.

The postseason format will also undergo changes. Suspended game rules will replace no-game and rain-out regulations. In the event of a suspended game, only one game will be played per day, with the original schedule postponed to the following day.

To ensure fair competition between teams advancing to the Korea Series, the home game schedule will be changed from the previous 2-2-3 format (regular-season champion's home field - playoff winner's home field - regular-season champion's home field) to a 2-3-2 format.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.