The Kiwoom Heroes are set to receive a hefty transfer fee for Lee Jung-hoo, 25, as he moves to the Major Leagues.
In 884 career KBO games, Lee has batted .344 (3476-for-1181) with 65 home runs, 515 RBIs and an .898 OPS. Last season, he won five batting titles (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, total bases, RBIs, and runs scored) and the league MVP after batting .344 (553-for-193) with 23 home runs, 113 RBIs, and a .996 OPS in 142 games.
After declaring for the major leagues ahead of this year’s season, Lee’s season ended early due to injury, but he still managed to hit .861 with six home runs, 45 RBI, and an OPS of .861 in 86 games (330 at-bats, 105 hits). Despite the disappointment, Lee was able to post as scheduled. On April 24, the KBO announced that the posting process for Lee Jung-hoo had officially begun, saying, “At the request of the Kiwoom Heroes, we have requested the Major League Baseball office to post Lee Jung-hoo to all 30 Major League Baseball clubs.” Lee was injured this year and did not play a full season.
Despite not being able to play a full season this year due to injury, Major League Baseball’s evaluation of Lee hasn’t changed much. On the contrary, 카지노사이트 the interest in him has exceeded the expectations of Korean fans. Scott Boras, the agent in charge of Lee’s major league contract, said, “Nearly half of the major league teams have inquired about him,” and John Heyman of the New York Post reported that “20 major league teams are interested in him,” indicating the intense interest of major league teams.
This interest has led local media in the U.S. to express optimism about Lee’s signing.
MLB Trader’s estimated the deal at $50 million over five years, The Athletic at $56 million over four years, ESPN at $63 million over five years, and CBS Sports at $90 million over 4+2 years.
As anticipation for Lee’s contract grows, so does interest in the posting fee that Kiwoom will receive. According to the Korea-U.S. Player Contract Agreement signed by the KBO and Major League Baseball, Kiwoom will receive posting fees based on the size of Lee’s contract. Up to $25 million (approximately 32.7 billion won), the posting fee is 20 percent, from $25 million to $50 million, 17.5 percent, and over $50 million, 15 percent.
If Lee signs a $50 million contract as projected by MLBTraderumors, Kiwoom will receive $5 million (approximately $6.5 billion), which is 20% of $25 million, and $4.37 million (approximately $5.7 billion), which is 17.5% of $25 million, for a total of $9.37 million (approximately $12.2 billion).
If CBS Sports’ projected $90 million deal for Lee materializes, Keum’s posting fee will be much higher. He will receive $9.37 million plus 15% of the $40 million overage, or $6 million, for a total of $15.37 million.
The highest posting fee in KBO history is $25.73 million (33 cents on the dollar) for Ryu Hyun-jin of the Dodgers (then Hanwha) in December 2012, when the league used a closed competitive bidding system. It will be difficult for Lee to break Ryu’s record. However, with the current posting method, it is likely to be the highest ever, 사설토토 surpassing the record of Kim Ha-seong (San Diego, $5.52 million).
It will be interesting to see what kind of contract Lee ends up signing in the major leagues as he continues to make waves in both the Korean and American baseball worlds.