Lee Jung-hoo, 25, who signed a record-breaking contract with the San Francisco Giants, is awaiting the results of a medical test.
Lee agreed to a six-year, $113 million contract with the Giants on Nov. 13 (KST). It is a fully guaranteed contract with an opt-out clause after four years. It also includes a minor league veto.
The Giants have been interested in Lee for a long time. They've been sending scouts since spring training this year, and general manager Pete Putilla personally traveled to Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome to watch Lee's final at-bat during the Kiwoom's final home game. The team proved that its interest was genuine by paying $100 million (approximately KRW 12.93 billion) for Lee, who had never played in the major leagues. It's the largest contract ever for a player from the KBO to the major leagues, and if you expand it to include all of Asia, it's the largest contract ever for a baseball player.
The son of legendary South Korean slugger Lee Jong-beom, Lee has been on the radar since his amateur days and joined Kiwoom as the first overall pick in the 2017 Rookie Draft. He made his first team debut in 2017 and performed so well that he won the Rookie of the Year award, and in 2022 he won the league MVP after winning five batting titles (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBI, and home runs).
Lee, who officially declared his intentions to play in the major leagues before this year's season, had a smooth start to the season, overcoming a slump in April. However, on July 22, he was injured while playing defense against Lotte. It didn't appear to be a major injury, as he didn't make a particularly injury-prone play, but upon further examination, it was determined that the ligament in his left ankle was damaged and needed to be sutured. As a result, Lee underwent ankle surgery and was effectively out for the season. He played one at-bat in the final home game against Samsung on October 10 as a fan service.
After finishing the season with a .861 OPS with six home runs, 45 RBIs and 105 hits in 330 at-bats in 86 games, Lee began his major league posting as scheduled. Major League Baseball clubs were not too concerned about Lee's ankle injury and showed keen interest. A Kiwoom representative said during the season, "I don't think the injury changed the evaluation of major league clubs. They were asked for information about the injury, but they didn't seem to be too concerned. There are also opinions that it is fortunate that he did not suffer a bigger injury and that it is better for him to take the rest of the season off," said a representative from Kiwoom about the mood of major league teams at the time of Lee's injury.
The San Francisco Chronicle, an American media outlet, reported that Lee will undergo a medical test on the 15th, saying, "It brings back memories that even Lee wasn't doing well. He is scheduled to undergo a medical exam on the 15th. That's why the team has yet to announce a six-year, $113 million contract," pointing to the case of Carlos Correa (Minnesota).
After missing out on Aaron Judge (Yankees) last winter, San Francisco turned to free-agent shortstop Maxwell Correa and agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract. However, the deal ultimately fell apart after he failed a medical exam. Correa then agreed to a 12-year, $315 million deal with the Mets, but again failed his medical and ended up signing a six-year, $200 million deal with Minnesota. https://www.casinosite.one/theme/casinosite/html/%EB%B0%94%EC%B9%B4%EB%9D%BC.html ">카지노
Coincidentally, the ankle that Correa had surgery on during his minor league career was the same ankle that was an issue when he signed with San Francisco. This is the same area that Lee had surgery on. However, the surgery was completely different. Correa underwent surgery to repair a calf fracture and ligament tears, while Lee had surgery to reattach the membrane of his tendon. At the time of Lee's injury, a representative from Kiwoom said, "It's not an area where athletes usually get injured. Once he has surgery, there is no problem in regaining his athletic performance."
San Francisco has been following Lee more closely than any other team. They were certainly well-informed about his injury. That's why they offered him a contract worth over $100 million. The chances of him passing his medical are also expected to be very high.
Fans are eagerly awaiting the good news to see if Lee can officially become a "San Francisco man" as he is one final step away from fulfilling his dream of playing in the major leagues.