A number of media, including MLB.com and CBS Sports, reported on the 13th (Korean time) that "the San Francisco Giants signed an opt-out (FA declaration after breaking the contract) contract with Lee Jung-hoo for six years and $113 million (about 148.6 billion won)."
Lee Jung-hoo challenged the big league through a posting system after the 2023 season. It received a lot of attention as it was considered the biggest fish in center field along with Cody Bellinger in this stove league. In the end, he signed a six-year, $113 million large contract.
As a result, Lee Jung-hoo broke a new all-time high posting money from the KBO League. The amount is enormous, triple the amount of 36 million dollars for six years for Ryu Hyun-jin, 28 million dollars for Kim Ha-sung, and 39 million dollars for 4+1 years.
Lee Jung-hoo beat even Japan's leading hitters. Lee Jung-hoo surpassed Seiya Suzuki's five-year record of 85 million dollars, Masataka Yoshida's five-year record of 90 million dollars, and Kodai Senga's five-year record of 75 million dollars.
Japanese media rushed to report on Lee Jung-hoo's contract. "Lee Jung-hoo, who was aiming to transfer to the Major League through the posting system, agreed with San Francisco for a total of $113 million," Japan Sports Hochi said. "Lee Jung-hoo is the son of Lee Jong-beom, who played for the Chunichi Dragons."
The article was ranked first in the Yahoo Japan Sports article. There were numerous comments on this article. Most of them were surprised by the size of Lee Jung-hoo's contract. It was also pointed out that Lee Jung-hoo has not yet been verified in the upper league.
A Japanese netizen commented on Lee Jung-hoo, "He must be a good player. He showed good performance in international competitions as well. However, the Korean team does not fit the "Ligney Big League," which is a pitcher and pitcher. "He will hit .300 and 15 home runs in the Japanese professional baseball league," he said. "However, he is still young and able to improve." The comment received more than 600 recommendations.
"Lee Jung-hoo is a batter who has hit .300 for seven consecutive years," another netizen said. "In the Major League, he will take the lower batting order in teams with weak batters." The comment also garnered more than 300 recommendations.
Many also talked about Lee Jong-beom, who played for the Chunichi Dragons and Lee Jung-hoo's father. "Lee Jong-beom was a very attractive player. I expected his son to come to the Chunichi Dragons, but he should move to the Major League if he signs a contract like this," a netizen said. "He is 185 centimeters tall, but he is not that big of a physique. If he builds up his body little by little, he will leave a record of his own in the Major League."
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