SEOUL, For the San Francisco Giants, signing South Korean star outfielder Lee Jung-hoo was the culmination of a yearslong courtship.

Farhan Zaidi, the team’s president of baseball operations, said during Lee’s introductory press conference in San Francisco on Friday (local time) that the Giants had admired the player “from afar for several years.” And when Lee became available for Major League Baseball (MLB) teams through posting after seven seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Zaidi and his staff were ready to pounce.

Their interest in Lee was such that their general manager, Pete Putila, traveled to Seoul in October to see Lee have one at-bat for the Kiwoom Heroes after returning from ankle surgery.

By that point, the Giants had already done their homework. They knew the type of player they were getting in the 2022 KBO most valuable player (MVP) and signed him to a six-year, US$113 million deal this week.

“There were great efforts made in all parts of our organization to familiarize ourselves with Jung-hoo, not just as a player but as a person,” Zaidi said. “We think this is an absolutely perfect fit.”

The Giants were among the least productive teams offensively in 2023, and their outfielders collectively struggled both at the plate and on the field. Zaidi said Lee can help address some of the pressing issues for his club.

“Our goals were to get more athletic as a team from an offensive standpoint, to make more contact, to play the kind of baseball where the industry seems to be trending toward,” Zaidi said. “Honestly, as we looked at our options this offseason, there was no target who was more of a perfect fit for what we were hoping to achieve than Jung-hoo. We couldn’t be more excited from a baseball standpoint.”

Zaidi also thanked the team’s ownership for allowing the front office to go after Lee as hard as it did.

“Jung-hoo was a very coveted player in free agency and we made it known to his representatives that he was a very high priority for us,” Zaidi added. “We’re just delighted we were able to get this deal done.”

The Giants cycled through 11 players in center field in 2023, with none of them providing much value offensively or defensively. Zaidi plans to have Lee “play Opening Day and every day in center field” in the new season and beyond.

“For us, this offseason was about adding players who had a chance to be here, not just for a year or two, but for several years,” he added. “Jung-hoo, as a 25-year-old next year, has a chance to be in San Francisco for a very long time and create a wonderful legacy here. I know that our players, coaches, manager Bob Melvin will provide him with every bit of support as he seeks to accomplish his goals here.”

Lee’s agent, Scott Boas, said he appreciated the Giants’ interest and commitment to the Korean player, citing Putila’s long trip to Seoul just to see one at-bat.

“In negotiation, I think we had a lot of mutual needs to be fulfilled,” Boras said. “He was very, very pleased about the Giants’ interest. We took great steps to advance with the Giants to get this done.”

Lee had drawn interest from MLB scouts for several years, but even he didn’t expect to see Putila on hand for his last regular season game for the Heroes.

“I felt like I received a huge present. I was so thankful,” Lee said. “It was such a happy moment that he came to Korea to see me.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency