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.