Jeong-hoo Lee (26) of the San Francisco Giants, who is about to debut in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB), ranked tied for second place as the worst free agent (FA) contract selected by local media.

The American sports media outlet The Athletic announced the results of various surveys ahead of the opening of the new season on the 22nd (Korean time). A total of 31 people, including current and former executives of major league clubs, managers, coaches, and scouts, evaluated this off-season.

In the worst free agent contract category, 30 players received votes, including Lee Jeong-hoo, who signed with San Francisco in the off-season. He received 7 votes and is tied for 2nd place with teammate Jordan Hicks (San Francisco).

The Athletic emphasized that it evaluated the terms of the contract rather than the player's skills.

Lee Jeong-hoo, who knocked on the door of the big leagues through the posting system (private competitive bidding) after completing the 2023 season, signed a large six-year contract with San Francisco in December last year, worth a total of $113 million (about 146.4 billion won). Pitcher Hicks signed a four-year, $44 million contract (approximately 57.86 billion won) with San Francisco last month.

First place in this category was pitcher Lucas Giolito, who received votes from 8 people. Last December, he signed a two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox worth $38.5 million (about 50 billion won). The Athletic harshly criticized Giolito, saying there was no reason he should receive a two-year contract.

Pitcher Frankie Montas, who signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds for $16 million (about 21.4 billion won), came in fourth place with 4 votes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a Japanese pitcher who succeeded in entering the big league, received 2 votes. Last December, he signed a huge 12-year contract worth $325 million (about 422.8 billion won) with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Blake Snell, a free agent pitcher who has not yet found a team, also received a vote. He, who is seeking a contract worth more than $200 million (about 267.2 billion won), reportedly turned down a six-year offer of $150 million (about 200.3 billion won) from the New York Yankees. 한국야동