*Photo from NBC Sports Bay Area*
Shooting for a star, they finally landed someone. The San Francisco Giants and OF Jung Hoo Lee have agreed to a 6 year, $113 million contract, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The deal is confirmed.
After 7 seasons in the KBO, Lee was posted this offseason to seek a contract with an MLB team. He gets one in San Francisco, with an opt out included after year 4 of the contract. If he remains with the Giants for all 6 years, they'll pay almost $132 million for the 25 year old in total due to a posting fee of $18.825 million.
Last season, Lee was limited due to injury despite having a strong season with the Kiwoom Heroes. He posted a .318/.406/.455 slash line with a .860 OPS, hitting 6 home runs, two triples, and 23 doubles while driving in 45 runs in 86 games for Kiwoom.
Lee is not a home run hitter, surpassing 10 home runs only twice in his 7 year career. He instead relies on contact and doubles, surpassing 20 doubles in all 7 of his seasons in Korea. He is also seen as an above average defender in center field, which sets him up well at the Giants spacious outfield.
All 7 of Lee's seasons in the KBO have come with the Nexen/Kiwoom Heroes. Winning the MVP in 2022 and Rookie of the Year in 2017, he has a .340/.407/.491 slash line with a .898 OPS, hitting 65 home runs, 43 triples, and 244 doubles with 515 RBI's in 884 games. He has 5 golden gloves in the outfield to his name.
Over 4,400 innings in center field during his KBO career, Lee has only made 10 errors while picking up his 5 golden glove awards. The Giants have previously whiffed on superstars such as Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa, and Shohei Ohtani in the last few offseasons, so getting Lee is a good addition for them.
The Giants are likely to make Lee their everyday center fielder thanks to his defensive prowess. He joins an outfield group that contains Mike Yastrzemski, Mitch Haniger, Michael Conforto, and Austin Slater, with Luis Matos, Heliot Ramos, and Wade Meckler also on the 40 man roster.
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