New York Mets rumored to be interested in Lee Jung-hoo

Baseball

Published: 04 Dec. 2023, 13:29 Updated: 04 Dec. 2023, 17:39

New York Mets rumored to be interested in Lee Jung-hoo

Kiwoom Heroes' Lee Jung-hoo became the youngest player to record 100 hits for seven consecutive years during a game against the KT Wiz at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul in July. [YONHAP]

The New York Mets are rumored to be interested in Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Lee Jung-hoo, who is soon to be posted for the MLB, as major league teams look to lock down next year’s squads ahead of spring training.

The Mets have expressed “strong interest” in the 25-year-old left-hander, according to USA Today, even as up to 20 teams could be interested in signing Lee.

Earlier this month, the MLB checked on Lee’s availability for the upcoming season, the first formality in the MLB and KBO’s trade deal.

If a major league team is interested in a KBO player, the team must ask the MLB to request a status check, and the KBO has four days to respond. The KBO responded that Lee is currently under contract with the Heroes.

Once a KBO player is posted to the trade market, he has 30 days to sign a contract.

Any interested MLB club can negotiate with a KBO player during the posting window. If the player signs a contract with the big league club, the KBO team where that player remains under contract in Korea also receives a transfer payment.

If Lee is unable to lock in a deal within the 30-day period, he would return to the Heroes for the 2024 season — and wait another year for another winter transfer round.

Lee, the 2022 KBO MVP, made his KBO debut in 2017, playing all seven seasons with the Heroes and through one name change. The Heroes were the Nexen Heroes before they became the Kiwoom Heroes in 2019.

He has a career .380 batting average with 65 home runs and 515 RBIs but comes off a 2023 season that was cut short by an ankle injury in July.

The website MLB Trade Rumors predicted a five-year, $50 million deal for Lee, who would earn his most lucrative salary yet. It would be a big deal for the Heroes, too.

KBO teams receive a fee when a posted player leaves for the MLB.

If a KBO player’s contract — excluding signing bonus and incentives — is worth between $25,000,001 and $50 million, their release fee is 20 percent of the first $25 million plus 17.5 percent of the rest.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]