SF Giants ink Korean center fielder to $113 million contract: report
Jung-Hoo Lee and the Giants are reportedly in agreement on a six-year, $113M free-agent contract
A day after Shohei Ohtani’s contract with the Dodgers became official, the San Francisco Giants reportedly made their first major move of the offseason.
Adding a young, contact-hitting center fielder from Korea, the Giants came to agreement with Jung-Hoo Lee on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.
The contract, first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post, reportedly includes an opt-out clause after four years and not been officially announced by the club. During a conference call with reporters, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi also declined to confirm the deal, throwing some snark toward the same reporter to said “Arson Judge” appeared to signing with them last offseason.
“Who reported that, Jon Heyman? Well, I’ll say this,” Zaidi said. “He’s got a better chance of being accurate of he actually spelled the guy’s name correctly.
“But, as you guys know, we don’t comment on any deals until they’re finalized.”
The scale of the deal, with an additional $19.275 million posting fee going to Lee’s KBO club, the Kiwoom Heroes, doubling most projections, signified not only the Giants’ need but the popularity of Lee’s services as a 25-year-old left-handed hitter with the capability to play center field.
While the Giants missed out on their top target when Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with their division rivals, Lee helps address their stated goals of becoming younger and more athletic, while improving an outfield group that was among the majors’ worst last season.
In seven KBO seasons, Lee batted .340/.407/.491 while earning the Golden Glove, awarded to the top player at his position, each of the past three years. However, Lee missed most of the 2023 season after suffering an ankle injury, only returning for the Heroes’ final game, where general manager Pete Putila happened to be spotted.
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