Lee Jung-hoo unfazed by pressure of historic Giants contract

Korean outfielder Lee Jung-hoo feels excited rather than pressured after signing a six-year, $113-million deal with the San Francisco Giants, the biggest contract for a player posted from the KBO.

Lee Jung-hoo speaks to reporters following his arrival at Incheon International Airport in Incheon on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

Korean outfielder Lee Jung-hoo is not pressured by the six-year, $113-million deal he signed with the San Francisco Giants, despite it being the biggest contract ever signed by a player posted from the KBO.

“I did feel pressured when I received the offer, but I remember my agent told me that I am getting rewarded for playing baseball from a young age and I do not need to feel pressured,” Lee said during a media scrum held in Incheon International Airport in Incheon on Tuesday following his return from San Francisco, where he finalized his lucrative deal with the Giants last week. “Right now I am more excited than pressured.”

Lee’s contract was more than triple the $36-million deal signed by Ryu Hyun-jin with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 and the $28-million deal signed by Kim Ha-seong in 2020.

The deal was also one of the biggest contracts ever signed by a Korean player. Ryu, now of the Toronto Blue Jays, is currently the final season of a four-year, $80-million deal, while SSG Landers’ slugger Choo Shin-soo played on a seven-year, $130-million deal with the Texas Rangers until 2020.

“I am honored to join the San Francisco [Giants] and I will pay the club back for how much they invested in me by playing well,” Lee said.

Lee also hopes that his lucrative deal can act as motivation for fellow Korean players who hope to play in the MLB.

“By getting this kind of contract, I think I can help my fellow players pursue their dreams,” Lee said. “I just want to say they should work harder as an opportunity may come to them as well. I want them to dream high.”

Lee, the 2022 KBO MVP, has long been considered a big league prospect. He appeared in 85 games for the Heroes this season before a season-ending ankle injury took him out of action in July. Up to that point, he was batting .319 with six home runs, 45 RBIs and 50 runs scored.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN AND JIM BULLEY [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]