San Francisco Giants Sign Korean Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee to Record Contract
The San Francisco Giants are signing Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, the New York Post's Jon Heyman was first to report Tuesday evening.
Lee's contract will reportedly be for six years and $113 million with an opt out after four seasons, shattering the previous record for largest contract signed by a Korean free agent. The 25-year-old center fielder's deal is more than three times bigger than the six-year, $36 million deal Hyun-Jin Ryu signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012.
The Giants will also pay Lee's KBO club, the Kiwoom Heroes, to cover his posting fee.
The Giants had been tied to Lee since February, and their interest was confirmed in November. The New York Yankees and New York Mets were reportedly among the other contenders for Lee once he officially hit free agency this month.
When Shohei Ohtani came off the board over the weekend, that freed San Francisco up to go all-in on Lee.
Lee won KBO Rookie of the Year in 2017, then league MVP in 2022. Over the course of his seven professional seasons in Korea, Lee is a .340 hitter with a .898 OPS, 65 home runs, 515 RBI, 69 stolen bases and 1,181 hits.
Season-ending ankle surgery cost Lee the second half of 2023, when he was batting .318 with an .860 OPS in July. With a three-month recovery timeline, according to MLB Trade Rumors, the 25-year-old is expected to be fully healthy in time for Spring Training.
Lee has thrived on defense, as the 6-foot, 170-pound outfielder won five consecutive Golden Glove Awards from 2018 to 2022. Nearly two-thirds of Lee's innings in the field have come in center, which appears to be the simplest position for him to slide into stateside, considering his profile at the plate.
Although Lee hit 23 home runs in his recent MVP campaign, he has only exceeded seven homers in a season twice in his career. That lack of pure power is generally more palatable from a center fielder compared to a corner outfielder.
The Giants will add Lee to an outfield that already included Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Conforto and Mitch Haniger, giving new manager Bob Melvin the benefit of depth and versatility in his lineup moving forward.
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