"Who will surprise Major League Baseball next after Lee Jung-hoo?" Two super-large contract reservations appeared
One of the questions was about who will sign a major contract after Lee Jung-hoo. It was reported on the 13th that Lee Jung-hoo agreed to a six-year, $113 million contract with San Francisco. Afterwards, the official announcement was made on the 15th while having a medical test call. Lee Jung-hoo planned to include an "opt-out" clause that allows him to search for a new destination after playing for San Francisco.
With this contract, he became the second largest Korean Major Leaguer after Choo Shin-soo, who joined the Texas Rangers as a free agent ahead of the 2014 season. At the time, Choo signed a seven-year, 130-million-dollar contract.
It also beat Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox, 90 million U.S. dollars), who signed the largest contract among fielders from Asia. It also ranked second in history behind Masahiro Tanaka (Rakuten Golden Eagles) who earned 155 million dollars when he joined the New York Yankees.
Moreover, Lee has become the highest paid player in the San Francisco squad, receiving all of the 113 million dollars as a guarantee. Even though he is a rookie with no experience in the Major League Baseball, Lee has made a fresh deal in the U.S.
Finsand answered the question, "The amount San Francisco signed with Lee Jung-hoo exceeded expectations. Who is the other FA that will surprise people with the terms of the contract?"
"Among the top FA players, Jordan Montgomery is the one who can get the full coverage that will surprise people. After moving to the Texas Rangers, he played a big role in winning the World Series."
"Yamamoto Yoshinobu is expected to sign between $250 million and $300 million, and two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell will sign more than $200 million," he said. "Montgomery is expected to sign a five-year contract in the range of $125 million earlier this winter, and there is a shortage of the best pitchers in the FA market. Montgomery, who averaged 175 innings and a 3.48 ERA over the past three seasons with the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas, may receive more than expected."
Montgomery pitched 67 ⅔ innings in 11 games after moving to Texas, displaying good performance with four wins and two losses and an earned run average of 2.79. He struck out 58 times and displayed stellar performance in fall baseball. He garnered two wins and an earned run average of 1.29 in three games of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros, contributing greatly to his team's victory in the World Series. He also singled out one of the hitters. He is Jorge Solaire. 안전놀이터
"The other player to watch is Solaire, the power hitter. Solaire, who became the home run champion in the American League with 48 homers in 2019, hit 36 homers with an OPS of 0.853 in 137 games with the Miami Marlins in 2023. With Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto already in the lineup, teams looking to elevate Solaire to the best option, which could potentially increase his value," Pinesand said.
