Multiple local media outlets, including the U.S. “New York Post” John Heyman, reported on the contract between Lee Jung-hoo and the San Francisco Giants on the 13th (Korea time). After playing for four years, Lee Jung-hoo signed a six-year $113 million (about 148.9 billion won) contract that includes an “opt-out” clause that allows him to search for his destination through a new contract.
Since announcing his move to the Major League last year, Lee has received much attention from local media and other big league teams. And as the stove league started in earnest after the 2023 season ended, Lee’s popularity reached its peak. The fact that there were not many notable players in the Major League FA market this year, which was called a “tidal year,” served as an “benefit” for Lee, who is seeking to join the Big League through posting.
The enthusiasm for Lee Jung-hoo was apparently keen. In an interview with local media at the time of the Major League leadership meeting, Boras said that more than half of the teams in the big leagues had been inquiring about Lee Jung-hoo. It seemed that Boras was trying to attract the interest of the teams and encourage competition from the standpoint of having to “sell” players, but that was not a bluff. A few days later, the New York Post’s John Heyman reported that there were 20 teams chasing Lee.
The ransom expected by local media was also unusual as it received attention from multiple clubs. The U.S. “CBS Sports” predicted that Lee Jung-hoo would sign a six-year, $90 million (about 118.6 billion won) contract with San Francisco that includes the “opt-out” clause, and multiple media outlets other than “The Athletic,” “New York Post,” “ESPN,” and “MLBTR” also predicted that Lee Jung-hoo would have a contract worth 50 million dollars (about 65.9 billion won).
However, the outcome was unexpected after opening the lid. Through the posting system, Lee successfully signed contracts with “senior” Kim Ha-sung (San Diego Padres 4+1 year 39 million dollars) and Ryu Hyun-jin (Los Angeles Dodgers 6 years 36 million dollars at the time), which were four to five times higher than their predecessors. And the deal was the second largest Asian major leaguer Masahiro Tanaka (Rakuten Golden Eagles) at 155 million dollars. 슬롯머신
Details regarding Lee’s contract have yet to be released, but Lee will become the highest-paid player in the San Francisco squad if he is guaranteed all of the $113 million. The highest-paid player in San Francisco this year was Jak Pederson ($19.65 million). However, as Pederson enters the market through his FA qualification, Lee will become the club’s “annual salary king” with an annual salary of $18.33 million (W24.1 billion), beating over Logan Webb and Michael Confoto, who receive $18 million (W23.7 billion) annually.
The reason why Lee Jung-hoo was able to hold a big contract that exceeded everyone’s expectations is that San Francisco was sincere in recruiting Lee Jung-hoo. San Francisco’s general manager Pete Putilla visited Gocheok Sky Dome to watch the training process and appearance of Lee Jung-hoo when he was rehabbing his ankle surgery. And just in time, there was an opportunity to play a “goodbye match,” and when Lee Jung-hoo finished his last at-bat ahead of entering the big league, Putilla gave a standing ovation.
And just in time, San Francisco has been desperate to strengthen its power since the last stove league. However, San Francisco lost to the Yankees in a bid to recruit Aaron Judge (New York Yankees), and Carlos Correa’s contract was canceled due to a medical examination just before his recruitment, and the team failed to embrace Shohei Ohtani again this year. Due to such circumstances, San Francisco succeeded in captivating Lee Jung-hoo through bold investment.
There is a figure who is in the spotlight once again as Lee Jung-hoo signed a whopping $113 million contract. That is Boras. Boras is called the “Devil” from the standpoint of Major League Baseball teams. Boras Corporation has most of the players that make its mouth water, because the clubs compete every year to earn huge amounts of ransom. More than once, players who are already expensive have been awarded huge amounts of contracts even for players who are expected to be paid more.
It is a devil for the club and a benefactor for the players. The same applies to Korean players. Boras has given Korean Major League Jackpot deals several times so far. One needs to look no further than the recent deal between San Francisco and Lee Jung-hoo. Other players include Korean Express star Park Chan-ho, Korean Monster star Ryu Hyun-jin and Choo Shin-soo.
In the case of Park Chan-ho, he has been with Boras since he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, and through his first FA qualification, he signed a five-year, 65 million-dollar contract with the Texas Rangers. Considering that it was hard to find a contract worth more than 100 million dollars in the early 2000s, he truly gave a huge contract. And Boras also gave Choo Shin-soo a “money cushion.” When Choo was eligible for the FA, he signed a seven-year, 130 million-dollar contract with the Texas Rangers.
Currently, Boras is also accompanying Ryu Hyun-jin. When Ryu moved from the Hanwha Eagles to the Dodgers, Boras won a six-year, 36-million-dollar contract, and when he became eligible for the FA, he won a four-year, 80-million-dollar contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. There are other short-term contracts, but the amount that has been awarded to Korean Major Leaguers has reached a whopping 424 million dollars so far.
Boras is considered a “demon” by Major League teams but is no different from an “angel” to players. That’s why so many players including Korean Major Leaguers have no choice but to visit Boras.
