SF Giants sign KBO superstar Jung Hoo Lee on six-year $113 million deal

Jung Hoo Lee, the decorated Korean superstar is now moving to San Francisco after signing a six-year deal with the Giants.

SF Giants sign KBO superstar Jung Hoo Lee on six-year $113 million deal

Jung Hoo Lee (Image via McCovey Chronicles)

As the dust starts to settle down on the big money move of Shohei Ohtani, the spotlight now shifts to other players. As the free agency and trade heats up, teams are plotting their next moves quickly. In one such move, the San Francisco Giants have finally made their presence felt in the market and signed Korean star Jung Hoo Lee on a six-year $113 million deal.

This move comes a day after their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers officially announced the signing of Ohtani. The Giants were reported to be one of the teams trying to sign him. With the new details of his contract emerging, they perhaps could have tried to fight harder for him. However, they have moved on from him quickly and sealed the superstar of the KBO on a lengthy contract.

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As per reports, Lee will have the option to opt out of his contract after four years. This gives him the chance to change allegiances if the move does not work out for him. However, the form he is in, he is likely going to be a key player for the Giants in the upcoming seasons.

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The Giants are also reported to have been scouting him before he was even posted in the market. This deal could help them both offensively and defensively as Lee has excelled in both of these departments in the KBO previously.

Who is Jung Hoo Lee? How has he performed in the previous seasons?

Sometimes the name of some players goes under the radar. This has been the case with Jung Hoo Lee. Despite being named as an international free agent he received less attention compared to other free agents such as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. His performances though speaks volume for themselves.

Nicknamed “Grandson of the Wind,” Lee is the son of legendary Korean shortstop Jong Beom Lee, who was labeled as “Son of the Wind“. He gets his nickname as an homage to his legendary father. So for Lee to be good at baseball was not something surprising.

Jung Hoo Lee
Jung Hoo Lee (Image via Sportsnet)

A second-generation superstar, Lee broke into baseball at a young age and made his debut with the Kiwoon Heroes of the KBO in 2017. Since then outfielder has continued to amaze the fans with his phenomenal batting abilities.

In his KBO career, the Korean superstar has an impressive batting average of .340. The other interesting stat is that he has never hit below .318 in any season, signaling his explosive batting capabilities.

His best season though is said to have come in 2022 when he hit a career-high .349 average with 23 home runs and 113 RBIs in 142 games which saw him named the MVP. His quest for a second straight MVP award ended shortly though due to an injury.

He could be the player the Giants have been looking forward to in their offense. The team had a poor season in 2023 where they finished fourth with a 79-83 record. With a new coach in the form of Bob Melvin at the helm, the Giants are expected to do better next season.

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