Sincerely + Financial Solid After Lee Jung-hoo

Will Kiwoom Heroes' Lee Jung-hoo (25) meet with Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani (29) at the San Francisco Giants.

MLB, the official major league media, said on the 27th, "Pitch-hitting star Ohtani will not be able to play as a pitcher until 2025 due to surgery on his right elbow, but he will be the biggest fish in the offseason. Ohtani, who is scheduled to return as a batter next season, will sign a huge contract considering the success he has had over the past three seasons with the Angels, he said, referring to Ohtani's offseason move. 스포츠토토

Ohtani had a batting average of 344ri (151 hits in 497 times at bat) and 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, OPS 1.066 in 135 games as a batter this season, and 10 wins, 5 losses, and an ERA of 3.14 in 23 games (132 innings) as a pitcher. Despite ending the season early due to injury, it is considered the biggest free agent and is said to sign a contract worth more than $500 million (about 676.8 billion won).

MLB "San Francisco has enough financial room to recruit Ohtani. However, it may be difficult for San Francisco to recruit Ohtani because it has not advanced to the postseason in six of the past seven years. If Ohtani goes to another team, San Francisco may turn to Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix) and Korean outfielder Lee Jung-hoo. San Francisco scouted both players intensively."

Yamamoto is Japan's best ace with 16 wins and 6 losses in 23 games (164 innings) and an ERA of 1.21. From 2021 to 2023, he became the first Japanese professional baseball player to win four pitching medals (multiple wins, ERA, strikeouts, and winning percentage) for three consecutive years. Lee Jung-hoo had a batting average of 318 (105 hits in 330 times at bat) and six home runs, 45 RBIs, and OPS .861 in 86 games this season due to injury, but he is Korea's best hitter who won five batting medals (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBI, and most hits) and the league MVP last season.

San Francisco is fully prepared to target the Asian market ahead of this winter. President Farhan Zaidi visited Japan to check Yamamoto's pitch in Game 1 of the Climax Series Final Stage, and general manager Pete Putila flew to Korea and watched Lee Jung-hoo play his last at-bat in Kiwoom. President Zaidi said, "We are preparing one step first for what could happen in the upcoming offseason."

U.S. media reporter John Heyman selected Texas, San Francisco and Dodgers as the most likely teams to recruit Ohtani this winter on the 27th. As for San Francisco, "They have failed to recruit Giancarlo Stanton (Yankees), Bryce Harper (Philadelphia) and Aaron Judge (Yankees) and they are clearly desperate for a big star. One problem is whether Ohtani is trying to sign a contract with a team that uses a difficult home stadium (Oracle Park) for left-handed hitters, he analyzed.

Ohtani is expected to sign a contract worth at least $500 million. If San Francisco succeeds in recruiting Ohtani, it may not be easy to recruit other players. In particular, Yamamoto, who is expected to sign more than $100 million (about 135.4 billion won), is practically difficult to recruit.

However, in the case of Lee Jung-hoo, if the competition for recruitment is not hot, San Francisco also has a good chance. If the size of Lee Jung-hoo's contract is decided at a level similar to that of Kim Ha-sung (San Diego, $28 million with a four-year guarantee), San Francisco also deserves to consider recruiting Lee Jung-hoo following Ohtani.

San Francisco expressed great interest that its general manager came to see Lee Jung-hoo' US media The Athletic said on the 20th, "This move shows how seriously San Francisco considers the best international FA player." As for Bob Melvin, whom San Francisco recently recruited from San Diego, Melvin said, "Coach Melvin has built a solid friendship with Kim Ha-sung. Kim Ha-sung played with Lee Jung-hoo at Kiwoom and is still a close friend," he said, adding that the appointment of Melvin coach will help recruit Lee Jung-hoo.

Fans are excited and interested in whether San Francisco, which has shown a sincere desire for Lee Jung-hoo, will be able to recruit both Ohtani and Lee Jung-hoo, the biggest FA player.