Center fielder Jung Hoo Lee agreed to a $113 million, six-year deal with the San Francisco Giants, sources revealed to ESPN late Tuesday. This is the largest contract awarded to a hitter coming to Major League Baseball from Asia, one-upping the $90 million paid by the Boston Red Sox to Masataka Yoshida. Lee’s deal includes an option for a fourth season.
A star in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), Lee is the son of Jong Beom Lee, who is widely regarded as the best all-around player in the KBO during the ’90s. Lee had long been linked with a move to the San Diego Padres, however, the Giants ramped up their pursuit of Lee after Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the week.
Lee has batted over .300 every season in the KBO, with a batting average of .340 over the course of his career, including a high of .360 in 2021. Last season, the South Korean hit .318/.406/.455 with six home runs and 45 RBIs in 86 KBO games before a fractured left ankle brought his season to a premature end.
