Astros Learn More About Lee Free Agency Timeline

The Houston Astros look set in the outfield. But, with 20 MLB teams reportedly interested in the latest outfield prospect from Korea, there’s a fair chance the Astros have at least inquired about Jung Hoo Lee.

The Korean outfielder will be posted for MLB teams in early December, per multiple reports. That would allow all 30 teams to take a swing at Lee, who plays for the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korean Baseball Organization.

Per the New York Post, at least 20 teams are likely to have some level of interest, with the San Diego Padres, the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants the most prominent.

But, that said, two-thirds of the league appears to have a passing interest in the contact hitter with the slick glove.

Lee has played in the KBO since he was 18 years old. He spent two years with Nexen before joining Kiwoom. He’s been an incredibly consistent hitter in the KBO, as he’s batted over .300 in each of his seven seasons and has a lifetime batting average of .340.

He’s not a power hitter — his career-high is 23 home runs in 2022 — but he’s drawn more walks than strikeouts each of the last five seasons.

In the outfield, he has a .992 fielding percentage. He also missed the second half of the 2023 season due to ankle surgery.

Things are expected to move fast once Lee has been posted, with that quickness a product of necessity. Unlike the two Japanese stars set to hit the free-agent market through the posting process, pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imagana, Lee will only have 30 days to find a free agent contract.

Yamamoto and Imagana have 45 days from their posting.

Lee is just 25 and isn’t nearly as likely to command the sort of deal that is projected for Yamamoto, who could get a deal of more than $200 million. MLB Trade Rumors projects that Lee can get a deal worth $50 million over five years.

Pursuing Lee might also be contingent on the Astros shedding some of their current outfielders. Right now the Astros have Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubón, Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez, though Alvarez is more likely to DH and Dubón has flexibility in the infield. The Astros also have Jake Meyers, Corey Julks and Kenedy Corona on their 40-man roster.