The second highly sought-after Japanese free agent, Jung-Hoo Lee has reached a contractual agreement with the San Francisco Giants, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Teams had shown a widespread interest in a combination of Lee, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Giants were one of the teams that have been interested in all three. The deal between Jung-Hoo Lee and the Giants is reportedly worth $113M and includes an opt-out after four years.
Lee, 25, has been coveted by many teams after Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization posted him. At the time he was posted, he was coming off of a stellar year. In 2022, he slashed .349/.421/.575 with 36 doubles, 10 triples and 23 home runs. The 2023 season didn’t go quite as well though.
The above-average center fielder had received interest from the Giants, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees and New York Mets. At just 25, Lee has a chance to still grow into an All-Star caliber player at the MLB level. His profile is somewhat comparable to Masataka Yoshida on the offensive side, albeit a little younger.
The Giants had plans to add speed and defensive versatility this offseason. With Jung-Hoo Lee, they are getting both. He has won a Golden Glove for five straight years. He doesn’t add much speed on the base paths,
*More to come. Refresh for updates.*
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