Everyone calls him the devil, but for Korean major leaguers, he is nothing short of a benefactor. This is Scott Boras, the 'Devil's Agent'.
On the 13th (KST), multiple local media outlets, including the New York Post's John Heyman, reported the news of Lee Jung-hoo's signing with the San Francisco Giants. Lee signed a six-year, $113 million (approximately 14.89 billion won) contract with the Giants that includes an "opt-out" clause that allows him to seek a new deal after playing four years.
Since announcing his intentions to play in the major leagues last year, Lee has received a lot of attention from big league clubs, including local media. The interest in Lee reached its peak when the Stove League began in earnest after the 2023 season. This year's Major League Baseball free agency market has been called a "bad year," and the lack of notable players has actually been an advantage for Lee, who is trying to break into the big leagues through his posts.
The excitement for Lee was palpable. Boras told local media at the time of the Major League Baseball general managers' meeting that more than half of the big league clubs had inquired about Lee. As a player who needs to be "sold," Boras's comments were meant to generate interest and competition, but they weren't bluffing: a few days later, John Heyman of the New York Post reported that 20 teams were chasing Lee.
With so many clubs interested in the player, the ransom demanded by local media was not unexpected. CBS Sports predicted that Lee would sign a six-year, $90 million contract with San Francisco that included an "opt-out" clause, while The Athletic, The New York Post, ESPN, Major League Trade Rumors (MLBTR), and other media outlets also predicted that Lee would receive a not insignificant $50 million contract.=== But when the lid was lifted, the results were unexpected. Using the posting system, Lee succeeded in getting a contract that was four to five times larger than the contracts of his "seniors," Kim Ha-seong (4+1 years, $39 million with the San Diego Padres) and Ryu Hyun-jin (6 years, $36 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers), who were the first to reach the big leagues. It was also the second-largest contract for an Asian-born major leaguer, behind only Masahiro Tanaka's $155 million (approx. KRW 20.43 billion) contract with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.Details of Lee's contract have not yet been released, but if Lee receives all of his $113 million guaranteed, he will be the highest-paid player on the San Francisco roster. This year, the highest-paid player in San Francisco was Jarrett Pederson ($19.65 million). However, with Peterson's departure in free agency, Lee will become the club's "salary king" at $18.33 million per year, surpassing Logan Webb and Michael Conforto, who each earn $18 million per year.
The reason Lee's contract exceeded everyone's expectations is that the Giants were serious about signing him. When Lee was rehabbing from ankle surgery, San Francisco general manager Pete Putilla visited the Gauchucks SkyDome to watch him train and work out, and when Lee finished his last at-bat before his big league debut, Putilla gave him a standing ovation.
The Giants had been looking to bolster their lineup since the offseason. However, the Giants lost out to the Yankees in the Aaron Judge trade, and Carlos Correa's contract fell apart after a medical test was found to be problematic shortly before signing, leaving them without Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) this year. With all of this going on, San Francisco made a bold move and succeeded in winning Lee's heart. 토토사이트
With Lee signing a massive $113 million contract, there's someone else in the "spotlight" once again. Boras. Boras is the devil's advocate for major league teams. Boras owns most of the players that teams are drooling over, and he's able to outbid teams for them every year. It's not uncommon for clubs to sign players who are already overpriced, and even those who are expected to be mediocre, to huge contracts.
It's the devil's advocate for clubs, and a savior for players. This is also true for Korean players. Boras has given the Korean Major League Baseball "jackpot contracts" many times before. Just look at Lee Jung-hoo's contract with San Francisco. Other examples include Park Chan-ho, the "Korean Express," Ryu Hyun-jin, the "Korean Monster," and Choo Shin-soo.In the case of Chan Ho Park, Boras has been with the Los Angeles Dodgers since the beginning, when he signed a five-year, $65 million contract with the Texas Rangers in his first free agency after playing eight seasons. It was a huge deal considering it was the early 2000s and contracts over $100 million were rare. Boras also gave Shin-Soo Choo a "cash cow. When Shin-Soo Choo became a free agent, he signed a seven-year, $130 million contract with Texas.
Boras is also currently working with Ryu Hyun-jin. Boras negotiated a six-year, $36 million deal for Ryu when he moved from the Hanwha Eagles to the Dodgers, and a four-year, $80 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays when he became a free agent. There are other examples of shorter contracts, but to date, Korean major leaguers have been paid a whopping $424 million (approx. 55.96 billion won).
Boras is considered a "devil" by major league teams, but an "angel" by players. That's why so many players, including Korean major leaguers, seek out Boras.