The New York Daily News reported an interview with Brian Cashman, the general manager of the New York Yankees, on the 6th (Korea Standard Time). Cashman said, “Lee Jung-hoo’s agent, Scott Boras, talked about KBO league stars including Japanese players.”
KBO requested the Major League Secretariat to post Lee Jung-hoo at the request of Kiwoom Heroes on the 24th of last month. And the Major League Secretariat delivered Lee Jung-hoo’s intention to post to 30 major league teams on the 5th. Therefore, Lee Jung-hoo will be able to freely negotiate with 30 big league teams from 8 a.m. on the 5th to 5 p.m. on January 3, 2024, Eastern Time.
Currently, Major League clubs are very interested in Lee Jung-hoo. Boras revealed that at a meeting of the heads of 30 major league teams last month, half of the big league teams had been inquiring about Lee Jung-hoo. And John Hayman of the ‘New York Post’ reported that there are 20 teams that are chasing Lee Jung-hoo. Currently, four teams are paying the most attention to Lee Jung-hoo. 에볼루션 바카라사이트
The first is the New York Yankees, who are aiming to recruit left-handed hitters and outfielders in the Stove League this time. The Yankees started to have a connection through local media right after Lee Jung-hoo announced his advance to the Major League. And the San Francisco Giants, which failed to strengthen its power in the FA market last year, are also taking a very aggressive stance this year. In particular, San Francisco Giants General Manager Pete Putila visited Gocheok Sky Dome to see Lee Jung-hoo.
The New York Mets have recently emerged as candidates for recruitment. The Mets, who own the “billionaire” team, are very interested in Lee Jung-hoo as there is no owner in the outfield except for Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte. In addition, the San Diego Padres, to which Kim Ha-sung belongs, also aims to reinforce outfielders. Currently, San Diego plans to trade Juan Soto for Trent Grisham, and if the trade is successful, it will actively participate in the recruitment of Lee Jung-hoo.
Lee Jung-hoo’s ransom, which is expected by local media, is also unusual. The U.S. “CBS Sports” predicts that Lee Jung-hoo will sign a six-year, $90 million (about 118 billion won) large contract with San Francisco that includes an “opt-out” clause. In addition, media such as “The Athletic,” “MLB.com ,” and “MLB TR,” which mainly deliver news of major league transfers, also predict that Lee Jung-hoo will hold a contract of at least $50 million (about 65.6 billion won).
In the meantime, Brian Cashman, the general manager, revealed his contact with Lee Jung-hoo. Cashman had an interview with local media at the Major League’s winter meeting. “Cashman said he had a conversation with Shohei Ohtani, but the Yankees are not expected to win the MVP award at the moment,” the New York Daily News said. “It is not just Yamamoto that the Yankees are trying to recruit an international player this offseason.”
The New York Daily News continued, “With pitchers Shota Imana, Naoyuki Uwasa, and Yuki Matsui being mentioned, Cashman said, “I definitely talked a lot with players from Japan.” And he also mentioned Lee Jung-hoo. Cashman said, “I talked with Boras, Lee Jung-hoo’s agent, about Japanese players and KBO league stars.”
The goal of the Stove League this time is clear. The goal is to strengthen starting rotation and embrace left-handed batters and outfielders. For now, the Yankees have dealt with San Diego to recruit Juan Soto. However, the trade talks did not go smoothly, and the Yankees finally resolved their concerns by recruiting Alex Verdugo in a trade with the Boston Red Sox.
Now, it is one of the remaining seats in the outfield. Yankees have always shown interest in Cody Bellinger and Lee Jung-hoo, who rebounded this season, and they are expected to move to recruit one of them. As Cashman talked with Boras, it seems clear that Yankees are very active in recruiting Lee Jung-hoo.