“Will the former KBO MVP change the highest contract amount for a Korean player?”
On the 5th (Korean time), the American media expressed keen interest in free agent outfielder Lee Jeong-hoo (25).
This morning, the KBO was notified by the Major League Secretariat that Lee Jeong-hoo had been posted to 30 major league clubs.
In accordance with the Korea-US Player Contract Agreement
clubs interested in recruiting two players can freely negotiate from 8 a.m. on the 5th to 5 p.m. on January 3 of next year, Eastern time. 먹튀검증
American sports media ‘CBS Sports’ announced this fact and paid attention to whether Lee Jung-hoo could set a new record for the value of a Korean player who entered the major league through the posting system.
Although Lee Jung-hoo is a player who has made a mark in the KBO League
it was pointed out that his agent is Scott Boras.
Boras is famous as the ‘Devil’s Agent’ in the major leagues.
He is a person who always attracts high-paying contracts from major league clubs.
CBS Sports said, ‘Three years ago, the San Diego Padres signed a four-year contract with Kim Ha-seong worth $28 million (about 36.7 billion won).
Among KBO players who came to the Major League through the posting system
the highest contract is Ryu Hyun-jin’s six-year, $36 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2012. Lee Jeong-hoo’s agent is Boras.
Even if the record is not broken, we can look forward to whether Boras can close a contract to break Ryu Hyun-jin’s record,’ the report said.
As Lee Jeong-hoo’s post became known in conjunction with the Major League Winter Meetings, interest is growing even more.
This year’s Winter Meeting will be held in Nashville
Tennessee, USA starting on the 5th. It is an event where officials and agents from all 30 major league clubs gather and free agent contracts often pour in during this period.
San Diego general manager AJ Preller attracted attention by mentioning that he was interested in Lee Jeong-hoo when he met with local American reporters on the first day of the winter meeting.
General Manager Preller, nicknamed ‘Mad Man’, is famous for investing so boldly that some even call him ‘crazy.’
The American sports media ‘The Athletic’ said, ‘Lee Jung-hoo, 25, is famous for his unusual contact ability.
By recruiting Lee Jeong-hoo, he can reinforce the left-handed hitter that San Diego needs.
San Diego can take advantage of having infielder Kim Ha-seong, Lee Jeong-hoo’s former teammate and close friend from his Kiwoom days.
Ha-seong Kim explained that he spent more than a year advising Jeong-hoo Lee on how to adapt to the major league.
He continued, ‘If San Diego completes the Juan Soto and Trent Grisham trade soon, they will be able to recruit multiple outfielders.
Before considering San Diego’s pitching needs, signing Jeong-hoo Lee without trading Soto doesn’t seem financially feasible.
This is because of Lee Jeong-hoo’s age. He added
Lee Jung-hoo will want a multi-year contract worth at least $50 million (approximately 65.7 billion won), and he will also have to pay additional transfer fees to Kiwoom.”
Director Preller said he had been watching Lee Jeong-hoo with interest for a long time.
He said, “We have been watching Lee Jung-hoo for several years.
We used to play on the same team as Kim Ha-seong, and although Lee Jung-hoo did not play the entire season this year, we are familiar with him because we have watched him.”
He continued, “Whether it is KBO or NPB (Japanese Professional Baseball), we are at least preparing for when a player comes on the market.
I think there have been several times over the past few years that we have automatically signed a player from one of the leagues, KBO or NPB.
I think there’s been a lot of talk that we’re going to do it. That’s not true. It’s all based on individual evidence.
But I can definitely say that we are ready,” he added.
In addition to San Diego, Lee Jung-hoo is known to be receiving interest from the San Francisco Giants
New York Yankees, and New York Mets. Before announcing the posting, Boras expressed confidence by saying,
About half of the major league clubs have shown interest in Lee Jung-hoo.”
Lee Jung-hoo joined the Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom) as a first-round pick in 2017 and played seven seasons in the KBO League until this year
recording a career batting average of 0.340 (1,181 hits in 3,476 at-bats).
Last year, he became the youngest player (23 years, 11 months, 8 days) to achieve 1,000 hits in the fewest games (747 games)
showing his outstanding ability to produce hits. In 2022, he had a career-high season with a batting average of 0.349 (193 hits in 553 at-bats)
an on-base percentage of 0.421, a slugging percentage of 0.575, 23 home runs, and 113 RBIs in 142 games, winning the regular season MVP.
It raises questions about how the big league will evaluate the value of Lee Jeong-hoo
who played an active role as the league’s best hitter for seven seasons in the KBO League, starting with Rookie of the Year in 2017.