Giants Agree to Sign Jung Hoo Lee, KBO Star With Incredible Nickname
The Giants made a big splash in MLB free agency on Tuesday, reportedly agreeing to a contract with South Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman.
Lee’s agreed upon contract with San Francisco is a six-year, $113 million deal, which includes an opt out after his fourth season, Heyman reports.
Lee, 25, has spent the past seven seasons playing for the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO. Across his entire career in South Korea, Lee never recorded a single season with a batting average below .318.
Lee is nicknamed “Grandson of the Wind” because his father, Jong Beom Lee, earned the moniker “Son of the Wind” due to his blinding speed back in his KBO playing days. (Jung Hoo, by the way, isn’t too much of a base-stealing threat, swiping a career-high 13 bags in 2019.)
His deal represents the largest free-agent contract the Giants have doled out to a position player in franchise history. Johnny Cueto’s $130 million deal remains the franchise’s all-time largest free-agent signing.
San Francisco has had a rough go of things during free agency in recent years. After painfully missing out on Aaron Judge and having their Carlos Correa deal fall apart last offseason, the Giants saw Shohei Ohtani join the rival Dodgers last week.
They’ve managed to rebound with a flashy addition of their own in Lee, who will provide quality defense with experience in all three outfield positions, along with a reliable bat.
Lee was much more of a contact hitter than a power hitter during his tenure in the KBO. His single-season career high for home runs was 23, which he set in 2022, and he’d only ever recorded two seasons with more than seven homers.
In 86 games last year, Lee slashed .318/.406/.455 with six home runs and 45 RBI.
