SEOUL - Lee Jung-hoo, a renowned outfielder from South Korea and the 2022 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season MVP, will be officially posted for Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs this week. Kiwoom Heroes, Lee's KBO club, announced the commencement of a 30-day negotiation period with MLB teams, starting Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, MLB will notify its 30 clubs of Lee's posting on Monday, U.S. local time, following a request from the KBO to post Lee on November 24. Lee, aged 25, will have the opportunity to sign with any MLB team during this 30-day window. His exceptional performance has attracted multiple MLB scouts to his games, especially after leading the KBO in several key statistical categories last year.
Lee's prowess at the plate is notable, boasting a .340 career batting average, the highest among KBO players with over 3,000 plate appearances. Despite an ankle injury that sidelined him for much of this year's second half, Lee still managed a commendable .318/.406/.455 line across 86 games. Represented by agent Scott Boras, Lee has garnered interest from several MLB teams, including the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and San Diego Padres.
The Heroes' history of sending players to the MLB through posting includes notable names like Kang Jung-ho, Park Byung-ho, and Kim Ha-seong. The KBO team will receive a release fee from the signing MLB team, calculated as a percentage of the player's guaranteed contract value.