Mets Know Schedule For Korean Outfielder's Posting

If the New York Mets have interest in Jung Hoo Lee, their chance to pursue him is coming next month.

The outfield depth chart for the New York Mets looks remarkably thin at the moment.

Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo, Alex Ramirez and DJ Stewart are the only four outfielders listed on the Mets’ 40-man roster entering December. The Mets can also tap into Jeff McNeil, who also plays infield.

So it makes sense that the Mets might be one of the 20 MLB teams that have indicated some level of interest in Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who per multiple reports is set to be posted for MLB teams in early December.

Per the New York Post, the three teams that appear to have the most interest are San Diego Padres, the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants.

Unlike the pursuits of Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imagana, teams will have less time to negotiate with Lee.

Yamamoto and Imagana get 45 days from their posting to get an MLB deal, while Lee — who plays in the Korean Baseball Organization — only gets 30 days.

He also won’t come with Yamamoto’s price tag, a player the Mets reportedly have interest in. Yamamoto is expected to get a deal worth more than $200 million.

MLB Trade Rumors projects that Lee can get a deal worth $50 million over five years.

Lee has played in the KBO since he was 18 years old. He spent two years with Nexen before joining the Kiwoom Heroes. He’s been an incredibly consistent hitter in the KBO, as he’s batted over .300 in each of his seven seasons and has a lifetime batting average of .340.

He’s not a consistent power hitter — his career-high is 23 home runs in 2022 — but he’s drawn more walks than strikeouts each of the last five seasons.

In the outfield, he has a .992 fielding percentage. He also missed the second half of the 2023 season due to ankle surgery.