or the first time in history, the way to post with family members has been opened. Following Lee Jeong-hoo, Go Woo-seok also starts posting on the same date.
Previously, Kiwoom Heroes, Lee Jung-hoo's original club, announced on the 4th, "Lee Jung-hoo's major league posting notice will be made on December 4th, Eastern time in the United States (10 p.m. on the 5th, Korean time)." He then explained, “Accordingly, starting the day after the posting notice, we will begin negotiations for 30 days with 30 major league clubs wishing to recruit Lee Jeong-hoo.”
According to ESPN reporter Alden Gonzalez in the early morning of the 5th (Korean time), Go Woo-seok was also reported to have been notified of posting at the same time as Lee Jung-hoo.
Lee Jeong-hoo and Go Woo-seok's posting activities began on the 15th of last month when the KBO received a request for 'identity inquiry' from the Major League Secretariat. At that time, the KBO started by announcing that Lee Jeong-hoo was a Kiwoom player and Ko Woo-seok was an LG player. The one who moved first was Lee Jeong-hoo. On the 23rd, KBO said, "Kiwoom Club requested the MLB Secretariat to post Lee Jeong-hoo to the KBO to 30 major league clubs," and Lee Jung-hoo's journey to the United States began.
Kiwoom Club, which announced that it would help Lee Jeong-hoo advance into the United States, also showed an active attitude by handing over medical documents containing Lee Jeong-hoo's treatment records and the signatures of doctors and trainers required for posting.
Afterwards, LG also forwarded Go Woo-seok's posting request to the MLB Secretariat on the 28th, opening the way for 'family-accompanied' postings for the first time in history.
Immediately after the posting notice date was announced, Kiwoom General Manager Koh Hyeong-wook said, “We support the future of Lee Jeong-hoo, who is qualified to post and takes on the challenge of reaching a bigger stage.”
In the case of Kiwoom Heroes, they had the opportunity to produce a total of four major leaguers, including those from the Nexen Heroes era. Previously, Kiwoom allowed Kang Jeong-ho, Park Byeong-ho, and Kim Ha-seong to advance to the major league through the posting system. Jung-ho Kang, who was the first to set foot on American soil, signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014, Byung-ho Park signed with the Minnesota Twins in 2015, and Ha-seong Kim signed with the San Diego Padres in 2020.
Lee Jeong-hoo's posting story
Local American media also announced that Lee Jeong-hoo's official posting has begun. John Heyman, a prominent reporter for the New York Post, said, "The Major League Secretariat will notify Lee Jeong-hoo's posting on the 5th." NBC Sports also reported, “Korean center fielder Lee Jeong-hoo has finally appeared on the market through a posting.” He also explained, “With multiple big market teams jumping into the recruiting battle, the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets are showing great interest.”
Coincidentally, the starting point of Lee Jeong-hoo's post overlapped with the Winter Meeting being held in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. At the Winter Meeting, officials from 30 major league clubs and influential agents gather to negotiate.
In Major League history, big contracts have appeared several times during the Winter Meetings. In 2021, Gerrit Cole signed a 9-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees, and last year, Judge signed a 9-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees. Lee Jung-hoo also appears to have reached a deal after several discussions during the winter meeting.
Lee Jeong-hoo received a lot of attention from local media even before he started posting. Influential media such as FOX Sports and MLB.com made specific evaluations, including listing Lee Jeong-hoo's name in the 2024 FA hitter power rankings.
Early last month, FOX Sports ranked Lee Jung-hoo 4th overall in its free agent rankings. The media said, “If Lee Jeong-hoo had not had an ankle injury this season, the news of him challenging the Major League would have received more attention,” and added, “He is a player who has shown excellent results in Korea, and is evaluated as a more talented prospect than the San Diego Padres’ Kim Ha-seong.” He added, “There will be many teams who want to give Lee Jeong-hoo, who is only 25 years old, a chance.” MLB.com also ranked Lee Jeong-hoo 14th overall in its own free agent power rankings, and evaluated Lee Jeong-hoo as "Korea's great outfielder."
The Yankees and San Francisco were most mentioned as his destinations. On the 24th of last month, the New York Post said, "There are as many as 20 teams looking to recruit Lee Jung-hoo," and added, "Lee Jung-hoo was mentioned in the New York Yankees' plan to reinforce the outfield for the new season."
The media reported, "The Yankees have no clear outfield resources other than Aaron Judge, who broke the American League home run record (62) last year. They will seek to strengthen the outfield by recruiting Lee Jeong-hoo in this Stove League."
MLB Network pointed to “Yankees and San Francisco” as Lee Jung-hoo’s next destination. The media explained, "The two clubs are focusing on recruiting Lee Jeong-hoo. Lee Jung-hoo has good contact ability. He mainly plays center field and can also play corner outfield defense."
He also explained, "It is not surprising that the Yankees and San Francisco are interested in Lee Jung-hoo. Both clubs sent scouts to watch Lee Jeong-hoo play in the KBO League. Lee Jung-hoo fits the list of players that the two teams are known to be targeting this winter."
n particular, San Francisco's affection for Lee Jeong-hoo was great. The Athletic and Sports Illustrated have reported since the beginning of this month that “San Francisco will spend a large amount of money after Lee Jeong-hu.” Additionally, San Francisco General Manager Pete Putilla personally visited the Gocheok Dome game this season and watched Lee Jung-hoo.
At the time, general manager Pete Putilla gave a standing ovation to Jeong-hoo Lee, who returned from injury and came on as a pinch hitter, and showed great interest as he watched Jeong-hoo Lee's training before the game.
CBS Sports also reported, “San Francisco is targeting Lee Jeong-hoo, who has a strong ability to steal bases and a solid batting average.”
According to USA Today on the 4th, it was reported that the Mets are showing strong interest in Lee Jung-hoo. The media said, “Among the big market teams, the New York Mets are the quietest in this winter market,” and added, “Meanwhile, the Mets are interested in Korean outfielder Lee Jeong-hoo.”
The Yankees, San Francisco, and Mets mentioned are big market teams recognized by the Major League. The fact that several big market clubs are showing interest in Lee Jung-hoo means that Lee Jung-hoo's price can also rise.
Lee Jung-hoo's contract size appears to be worth $50 million. MLB Trade Rumors estimated Lee Jung-hoo's free agent contract size to be 5 years and $50 million. Additionally, The Athletic is predicting $56 million (about 73.3 billion won) over four years, well over $50 million.
This amount far exceeds the contract size of Kim Ha-seong, Lee Jeong-hoo's close friend and bomber in the major leagues this season. Previously, Ha-seong Kim signed a 4+1 year contract with San Diego in 2021 worth up to $39 million (approximately KRW 51 billion) and a guaranteed amount of $28 million (approximately KRW 36.6 billion). Lee Jeong-hoo is expected to receive twice as much as this amount.
for more info check this : 안전놀이터