The New York Yankees are in need of players, according to a U.S. media outlet, and Lee Jung-hoo (25) is one of them.

‘CBS Sports’ listed the players the Yankees need during the Major League Baseball offseason on Tuesday (Feb. 20).

First, it recommended that the Yankees should acquire Juan Soto of the San Diego Padres, who will be eligible for free agency after the 2024 season, via trade. Then, it mentioned the need to acquire Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the “ace” of the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball.토토사이트

The team needs two outfielders, a center fielder and a second baseman. Juan Soto was one of them. “It’s imperative that we add a lefty this offseason. Not just any lefty, but a high-level left-handed hitter.”

But as if Soto wasn’t enough, “Soto is an offensive necessity. But we need another left-handed hitter. The Yankees have too many right-handed hitters in their lineup. They are very vulnerable against right-handed fireballers late in games.”

He went on to look at the top hitters in the majors, including Cody Bellinger, Jaime Candelario, and Kevin Kiermaier. One of the names that came up was Jung-Hoo Lee.

“The 25-year-old South Korean star has elite contact ability. There are some concerns about his ability to play center field long-term, but he is a young left-handed hitter. That makes him a good fit for the Yankees.”

Lee is one of South Korea’s best hitters, with a career batting average of .344 (3476-for-1181), 65 home runs, 515 RBIs, and an OPS of .898 in 884 career KBO games. Last season, he batted 30-for-44 (193-for-553) with 23 home runs, 113 RBIs and a .996 OPS in 142 games, winning five batting titles (batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBIs and runs scored) and the league MVP.

Lee, who declared for the major leagues ahead of this season, struggled early in the year and was unable to finish the season after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury in July. However, in 86 games, he batted .330 (105-for-131) with six home runs, 45 RBIs, and an OPS of .861.

He’s attracting a lot of interest from the major leagues. San Francisco general manager Pete Putilla even traveled to Gocheok SkyDome to watch Lee’s final at-bat in the KBO in Kiwoom’s final home game.

While Cody Bellinger, the 2019 National League MVP, is set to hit the free-agent market, Lee is one of the players to watch during the major league offseason. Just being mentioned in the same breath as Bellinger and four-time Gold Glove winner Kiernan Kiernan is a testament to his status as one of the best players in baseball.

Major League Baseball officially announced the players who declined qualifying offers on April 15, kicking off the offseason in earnest. Lee will be officially posted soon, ahead of the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings, which are scheduled for April 7-8.

Hanwha emerged as another big winner in the free agency market, and its ‘take one or the other’ strategy worked.

On the second day of the free agency market, two players released by Lotte announced their signings one after another. At 9:30 a.m., outfielder Jeon Jun-woo (37) was the first to sign a four-year contract totaling 4.7 billion won (4 billion won guaranteed and 700 million won incentive) with his original team, Lotte.

After 3 p.m., infielder Ahn Chi-hong (33)’s contract was announced. It was not a re-signing with Lotte, but a transfer to Hanwha. The basic contract is 4+2 years for a maximum of 7.2 billion won, with 4.7 billion won guaranteed for four years and an option for 8 billion won. The subsequent two-year contract is a mutual option that must be exercised by both the club and the player, with a two-year guarantee of 1.3 billion won and an option of 400 million won. He became the second free agent signing and the first transfer.굿모닝토토 주소

Given the team’s need for batting reinforcements, Hanwha needed to sign a free agent. With no free agent bats available after next season, they couldn’t afford to let this year pass. Intense internal discussions began even before the free agency market opened, and Lotte free agents Ahn Chi-hong and Jeon Jun-woo were targeted.

In late October, a Hanwha official said, “Jeon Jun-woo is a proven hitter. He’s older, but he can hit game-changing hits. Ahn Chi-hong also has a good ability to read the game. He is a second baseman, so his position overlaps with Jung Eun-won and Moon Hyun-bin, but both of them have military issues that have not been resolved. We will try to sign players who can buy that time without distinguishing between positions.

The two players’ proven hitting ability was the biggest factor, but there was also another reason. Lotte realized that it was running out of room in its salary cap, the limit on a team’s total salary. Lotte signed three outside free agents last winter: catcher Yoo Kang-nam (4 years, 8 billion won), shortstop Noh Jin-hyuk (4 years, 5 billion won), and pitcher Han Hyun-hee (3+1 years, 4 billion won). The team also signed a five-year, 9 billion won non-free agent contract with ace pitcher Park Se-woong.

The team’s total salary rose 24.6% from last year to 7.102 billion won. While this is average, ranking sixth among the 10 clubs, it does not include the actual payment of options and average annual contracts for free agents. With the rising salaries of Jeon Jun-woo and Ahn Chi-hong, as well as two bullpen cores – closer Kim Won-joong and setup man Koo Seung-min – set to become free agents after next season, Lotte has no room in its salary cap.

Knowing this, Hanwha was confident that “we will be able to get Ahn Chi-hong and Jeon Jun-woo, one or the other.” They made a big offer for Jeon Jun-woo, but the player’s desire to stay was too strong. Lotte also realized that it was difficult to get both, so they made a firm offer to Jeon Jun-woo. In the meantime, Hanwha met with Ahn Chi-hong and offered the highest amount at once.

We needed to get either of them. Jun-woo Jeon is a very good player, but Hanwha is better off with Ahn Chi-hong, who is four years younger, for the long term. “We needed to sign a free agent, so we had to move quickly,” said Hanwha general manager Son Hyuk. “He was a player we really needed, and we tried to fulfill his needs,” said Hanwha president Son Hyuk. “Fortunately, our first meeting on the evening of the 19th led to the signing. It worked out very well.”

Ahn Chi-hong also said, “I’m happy to come to Hanwha and thank you for the great offer. I am also happy that I can prepare for next year with a fresh mind and a relaxed attitude.” “Hanwha made me a good offer and I was able to make a quick decision. During the negotiation process, they emphasized why I was needed at Hanwha. They emphasized how my presence on the team would fill in the gaps that were missing. I also chose Hanwha because they have a lot of young players, so I knew I would have a lot to share as a veteran. It was a good match.”

Ahn Chi-hong also said, “I received so much love from Lotte fans for four years. It hurts that I can’t be with them until the end, but I will keep the love of Lotte fans in my heart.” “Watching the passionate support of Hanwha fans, I thought it was really wonderful. I’m happy to be a part of the Hanwha Eagles and I’m looking forward to the new season with the fans on the field. I will do my best to become a player who can fill the gaps in our team and live up to the expectations and love of our fans.”