“YANKEES LIKELY TO SIGN LEE JEONG-HOO SAN DIEGO, SAN FRANCISCO ALSO IN THE MIX”

The New York Yankees, a prestigious club in Major League Baseball (MLB), may be in the market to sign Lee Jung-hoo (25, Kiwoom Heroes), according to local media in the United States .Sports publication The Athletic analyzed Lee and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes) in an article titled “Will the Yankees try to sign two international stars?” on Nov. 11 (local time).”An ankle injury cut his season short, but he’s still batting .319 with six home runs and 45 RBIs in 85 games (as of the last nine days),” The Athletic said of Lee, “and major league teams will be interested in his solid outfield defense and a career record of more walks (383) than strikeouts (304).”

“The combination of his left-handed swing and Yankee Stadium’s short right-field fence (from home) will increase his home run total,” the analyst said. “The Yankees will also be looking to sign him,” he added, noting that the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, who also have Kim, have been linked to him “Earlier, The Athletic reported that San Diego, which made a splash by signing Ha-Sung Kim, is in the hunt for Lee, “sending several high-ranking officials to South Korea to analyze Lee’s play.”

In San Francisco’s case, general manager Pete Putteler watched Kiwoom play against the Samsung Lions at Gocheok SkyDome in Seoul on Oct. 10 to get a firsthand look at Lee’s game. Lee will knock on the door of the big leagues through the posting system (a closed competitive bidding process).Meanwhile, the outlet put the Yankees’ interest in Yamamoto a bit higher. “Yankees general manager Brian Cashman traveled to Japan to watch Yamamoto pitch a no-hitter on Sept. 9, and the team’s interest in him is solid,” The Athletic wrote. “With a 17-6 record and 1.16 ERA in 24 games (this year), Yamamoto will be one of the most coveted pitchers in the upcoming 안전놀이터 free-agent market.”