After years of missing out on top free agents, many baseball experts expected the San Francisco Giants to go all out for Cody Bellinger following Shohei Ohtani’s deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Instead, the Giants have reportedly agreed to a six-year contract with Japanese outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who has played professionally in South Korea’s KBO.
According to Jon Heyman, Lee and the Giants have come to terms on a deal that could be worth up to $113 million. The left-handed hitting outfielder has an opt-out after his fourth year with the Giants.
Lee, 25, is a five-time gold glove winning outfielder in the KBO, winning the award from 2018-22. In 2022, he was also named the KBO Most Valuable Player after posting a career best .996 OPS while also slugging a career high 23 home runs.
His 2023 campaign was cut short because of an ankle injury that led to season-ending surgery. In 85 games for Kiwoom, Lee slashed .319/.407/.456, with 6 home runs and 45 RBI, posting an .860 OPS, the lowest mark of his career since 2019.
So, for a Cubs fans perspective, this signing by the Giants most likely takes out another big spender in free agency when it comes to pursuing Bellinger. The New York Yankees are out of the mix after their trades, the big one of course being for Juan Soto. The Dodgers signed Ohtani, but it’s not like they were ever seen as an interested team in Bellinger and now the Giants have committed to Lee on a bigger contract than most predicted.
You should still expect the Toronto Blue Jays to be heavily involved for Bellinger, but outside of them there aren’t other big threats for the Cubs to compete with.
Another trickle down effect from this Lee signing could also be the Giants looking to trade outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. The 33-year-old has two more years left of arbitration, estimated to earn close to $8 million in 2024. The left-handed batter posted a 112 wRC+ with the Giants in 2023, slashing .233/.330/.445, with 15 home runs, while starting 90 games in the outfield. That included 44 in center field.
The Cubs are going to give their number one prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong the opportunity to win the starting center fielder job in spring training, but getting a stop-gap veteran isn’t out of the question this offseason either. Yastrzemski could be a solid fit for the Cubs.
