“We’re going after Ohtani first,”

The San Francisco Giants, a team in the American League West, have also been mentioned as a team interested in Lee Jung-hoo (25).

John Heyman, a reporter for the New York Post, reported on Aug. 8 (KST) that the San Francisco Giants, as well as the San Diego Padres, are candidates to sign Lee. Heyman said, “San Francisco is also interested in Lee. They are targeting Shohei Ohtani first, but if they don’t get him, they will look at Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman as well as Lee.”

Every major league team seems to be looking to bolster their outfield this year. The American League powerhouse New York Yankees were interested in Lee, but they traded with San Diego to acquire 160-homer slugger Juan Soto.

San Diego needs to fill the Soto void. 먹튀검증 “San Diego is eyeing South Korean star Lee Jung-hoo to fill the huge void left by the Soto trade,” Heyman wrote.

San Francisco has consistently been mentioned as a favorite to make a move for Lee.

A number of major league scouts have been watching Lee since spring training, and San Francisco general manager Pete Putilla even traveled to Kodak SkyDome to watch Lee’s final at-bat in the final game of the KIUM home stand.

Lee joined the Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom) with the first overall pick in the 2017 rookie draft and has played in 884 games over seven seasons in the KBO, batting .407 with 65 home runs, 515 RBI, 581 runs scored, 69 stolen bases, a .491 on-base percentage and an .898 OPS. Lee won MVP honors in 2022 after batting .344 with 23 home runs, 113 RBIs, and a .996 OPS. He was the best hitter in the KBO.

Lee was lost for the season in early July due to ankle surgery, but he underwent a three-month rehabilitation and is not expected to miss spring training next year. Lee is regarded as a player with good contact and above-average defense.

San Francisco’s top priority is reportedly Ohtani. Ohtani is being pursued by several teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers seem to be the favorite, but nothing is set in stone yet.

Ohtani did not finish the season this year due to a torn UCL in his right elbow.

As a result, he won’t be able to take the mound as a pitcher next year. But he will be able to hit. In 135 games this year, he batted .412 with 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, 102 runs scored, 20 doubles, a .412 on-base percentage, a .654 slugging percentage, and a 1.066 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). He’s a home run king, an MVP.

And the price tag is huge. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, “When Ohtani finally agrees to a contract, it will be well over $500 million. One source expects Ohtani to sign for at least $550 million, and another says the bidding could reach $600 million (about KRW779.4 billion).” Still, he’s a hot free agent.

If San Francisco loses the battle for Ohtani, Jung-Hoo Lee is the next target. Lee has garnered a lot of attention this offseason, along with other top players like outfielder Cody Bellinger, who hit .258 with 178 home runs and 519 RBIs in seven major league seasons, 토토사이트 and infielder Matt Chapman, who hit .245 with 155 home runs and 426 RBIs in seven seasons.