After Lee Jung-hoo, interest in ML posting exploded, and Madman also stepped up
The KBO was informed of the posting of Lee Jung-hoo to 30 major league teams by the Major League Secretariat in the morning. Under the Korea-U.S. player contract agreement, clubs interested in recruiting the two players can freely negotiate from 8 a.m. on the 5th to 5 p.m. on January 3 next year. 토토
The U.S. sports media “CBS Sports” announced this, paying attention to whether Lee Jung-hoo will be able to set a new record for the ransom of Korean players who entered the Major League through the posting system. Lee Jung-hoo is also a player who made a mark in the KBO League, but pointed out that his agent is Scott Boras. Boras is famous for the “Devil’s Agent” in the Major League. As such, he is a person who always draws large contracts from major league teams.
CBS Sports reported, “Three years ago, the San Diego Padres signed a four-year, 28 million-dollar contract with Kim Ha-sung. Among KBO players who came to Major League through posting system, Ryu Hyun-jin signed a six-year, 36 million-dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2012. Lee Jung-hoo’s agent is Boras. Even if the record is not broken, we can expect whether Boras will be able to secure a deal that breaks Ryu’s record.”
Interest is growing as Lee Jung-hoo’s posting was announced in conjunction with the Major League Winter Meeting. This year’s winter meeting will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, from the 5th. It is a place where officials and agents from 30 major league teams gather, and FA contracts are pouring out during this period.
San Diego general manager AJ Preller drew attention by mentioning that he was interested in Lee Jung-hoo in a meeting with local reporters in the U.S. on the first day of the winter meeting. Preller, whose nickname is “Mad Men,” is famous for investing boldly to the point where it is said that he is “crazy.”
The Athletic, a U.S. sports media outlet, reported that 25-year-old Lee Jung-hoo is famous for his rare contact skills. By recruiting Lee Jung-hoo, the team can reinforce left-handed hitters that San Diego needs. San Diego could take advantage of Lee Jung-hoo’s infielder Kim Ha-sung, his former teammate and close friend during the Kiwoom era. Kim Ha-sung said he spent more than a year advising Lee Jung-hoo on how to adapt to the Major League.
He added, “Sooner or later, if San Diego completes a trade with Juan Soto for Trent Grisham, it can recruit multiple outfielders. Before considering San Diego’s pitching demand, it doesn’t seem financially possible to sign Lee Jung-hoo without trading Soto. It is because of Lee Jung-hoo’s age. Lee Jung-hoo will want a multi-year contract of at least $50 million (about 65.7 billion won), and he will have to pay an additional fee for posting transfer to Kiwoom.”
General manager Preller said he watched Lee Jung-hoo with interest for a long time. “We’ve watched Lee Jung-hoo for several years. I played for the same team as Kim Ha-sung, and this year, Lee Jung-hoo didn’t finish the season, but I’m familiar with it.”
“Whether it is the KBO or the NPB, we are at least preparing for when a player comes to the market. I think a lot of people have said over the past few years that we will automatically sign a player who will come out of either the KBO or the NPB. That is not true. They are all based on individual grounds. But I can say that we are definitely ready,” he added.
In addition to San Diego, Lee Jung-hoo is reportedly drawing attention from the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and New York Mets. Boras also showed confidence by saying, “About half of the clubs showed interest in Lee Jung-hoo in the Major League,” before posting the announcement.
Lee Jung-hoo joined Nexen Heroes (currently Kiwoom) as a first-round pick in 2017 and has played seven seasons in the KBO League so far this year, recording a total batting average of 0.340 (1181 hits in 3,476 times at bat). He is the youngest (23 years, 11 months and 8 days) last year, and has excellent hit production ability to achieve 1,000 hits in at least 747 games. In 2022, he spent his career high season with a batting average of 0.349 (193 hits in 553 times at bat), an on-base percentage of 0.421, a slugging percentage of 0.575, 23 home runs and 113 RBIs, winning the MVP of the regular season. It raises questions about how the big league will evaluate the value of Lee Jung-hoo, who has been the league’s best hitter for seven seasons in the KBO League since the rookie of the year in 2017.