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Guardians Win Draft Lottery

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The second ever MLB draft lottery was conducted at the Winter Meetings this afternoon. The Guardians were surprisingly awarded the first overall pick, followed by the Reds and Rockies. Cleveland entered the event with just a 2% chance of securing the highest selection.

Cincinnati also surprisingly drew near the top of the league. The Reds’ chances of landing the first pick were less than 1%. While they didn’t quite get to #1, they jump up to second despite having the 14th-worst record this year.

Here’s the first round order:

  1. Guardians
  2. Reds
  3. Rockies
  4. Athletics
  5. White Sox
  6. Royals
  7. Cardinals
  8. Angels
  9. Pirates
  10. Nationals
  11. Tigers
  12. Red Sox
  13. Giants
  14. Cubs
  15. Mariners
  16. Marlins
  17. Brewers
  18. Rays
  19. Mets
  20. Blue Jays
  21. Twins
  22. Orioles
  23. Dodgers
  24. Padres
  25. Yankees
  26. Braves
  27. Phillies
  28. Astros
  29. Diamondbacks
  30. Rangers

As part of the Players Association’s efforts to reduce the incentive for non-competitive teams to lose games, the latest collective bargaining agreement introduced a lottery to determine the top six overall selections. A team’s odds of landing a higher pick are still weighted in favor of the clubs with the worst records, although the three worst teams all had identical chances of landing the top selection.

All non-playoff teams ostensibly have a chance to win the lottery. However, the CBA also prevents a team that is not a revenue sharing recipient from landing within the top six in consecutive seasons. That ruled out the Nationals this year, as they selected 2nd overall a season ago. (As an interesting aside, J.J. Cooper of Baseball America relays that a ball for Washington was actually chosen on the initial drawing for the first pick. As a result of the CBA provision capping them from picking higher than 10th, that result was voided. Cleveland’s winning ball was drawn on the second trial.)

This year, the A’s, Royals and Rockies had the best chance of securing the #1 overall selection. Each had an 18.3% probability for the pick. The White Sox (14.7%) and Cardinals (8.3%) had the fourth and fifth highest odds, respectively.

Also of note: none of the Mets, Yankees or Padres were drawn into the top six. Those teams surpassed the third luxury tax tier. As a result, their highest choices were dropped by 10 spots apiece. Had any of them received a lottery pick, their second-highest pick would have been moved back instead.

The lottery only comes into play for the first round of the draft. From the second round onwards, pick order is determined in inverse order of the prior season’s standings, aside from compensatory and competitive balance selections.

While the 2023 draft was extremely highly regarded at the top — particularly with the first five selections — the ’24 class isn’t as lauded. Much can change with the upcoming amateur baseball season in the spring, of course, but early indications are that having a top selection may not be quite as impactful as it would be in a typical season (and certainly not last summer). Baseball America recently updated its Top 100 draft prospects.

Roberts: Dodgers Met With Shohei Ohtani Recently

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After droves of secrecy and anonymous reporting about secret meetings between Shohei Ohtani and various suitors, Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts refreshingly came right out and told reporters that his club recently hosted Ohtani for a visit at Dodgers Stadium (link via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times). Roberts added that Ohtani is “clearly our top priority.” Asked why he was so direct when other clubs have gone to great measures to conceal their efforts to negotiate with Ohtani, Roberts replied (via MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince): “I don’t feel like lying is something I do. I was asked a question. … It’s going to come out at some point.”

The Dodgers have long been viewed as the likeliest team to sign Ohtani. That’s due to myriad factors, ranging from Ohtani’s prior preference for a West Coast club (during his original foray into MLB free agency) and the Dodgers’ virtually limitless payroll capabilities, among others. The L.A. front office declined to make designated hitter J.D. Martinez a qualifying offer on the heels of a resurgent 33-homer season, reportedly in large part to keep the DH spot in the lineup clear for a potential run at Ohtani.

Ohtani has drawn interest from a wide array of teams, as one would expect from the most prominent two-way star the sport has ever seen. Over the past few days, however, several clubs have appeared to believe their chances to land Ohtani have shrunk. The Red Sox, Mets and Rangers are said to have shifted their focus to other players, while just a couple hours ago it was reported that the Cubs’ optimism in their own pursuit has “significantly waned.”

The Dodgers currently project for a $157MM payroll, per Roster Resource, with just shy of $175MM of luxury tax obligations on the books. That leaves ample room to sign Ohtani without even reaching the $237MM tax threshold, although subsequent additions following a theoretical Ohtani deal could still put the Dodgers firmly into tax territory. That hasn’t been a concern for them in the past, however; the Dodgers have incurred luxury penalties each year since 2019.

Ohtani is believed to have had meetings with the Blue Jays and the Giants in recent days as well. Los Angeles, Toronto, San Francisco and the incumbent Angels are the four prominent names reported to remain in the bidding, although given the cloak-and-dagger nature of Ohtani’s free agency, it’s certainly possible there are other clubs still lurking in the mix to sign him.

Report: Cubs’ Optimism On Landing Ohtani “Has Waned”

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Shohei Ohtani’s camp at CAA has done a good job keeping his free agency a relatively silent endeavor, but there have been occasional indicators that his market is beginning to narrow. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported last week that the Red Sox, Rangers and Mets had shifted their focus to players other than Ohtani, not believing themselves to be strong contenders to land him. Today, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that the Cubs are in a similar position. Chicago’s “optimism of landing Ohtani has now significantly waned,” per Nightengale, citing a high-ranking team executive.

Known suitors for Ohtani generally include the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Angels and Giants. (Others have surely expressed interest throughout the offseason.) If the Cubs are indeed pessimistic and/or turning their attention elsewhere, that makes four teams in the past four days that are now said to be increasingly doubtful about their chances of landing the two-time AL MVP. Given the secretive nature of Ohtani’s market, it’s always possible there are additional, surprise suitors lurking, but to this point there’s little to no indication of the ever-popular “mystery team” joining the fray.

As a major market club with long-term needs in the rotation and an immediate gap at designated hitter, the Cubs made plenty of sense as an Ohtani suitor. Chicago’s projected $178MM payroll is a ways of from the franchise-record $203MM Opening Day mark, and for a player like Ohtani it stands to reason that most clubs would be comfortable stretching beyond their previously established comfort levels. Ohtani could’ve slotted into the 2025 rotation alongside Justin Steele and would’ve added a thunderous left-handed bat to a lineup that could well lose resurgent Cody Bellinger, who is also a free agent.

Over the past few days, reports have emerged of in-person meetings between Ohtani’s camp and a few clubs. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported yesterday that the Blue Jays are “believed” to have met with Ohtani at their spring complex on Monday, when GM Ross Atkins was noticeably absent from the site of the Winter Meetings in Nashville and conducted his media availability via Zoom. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle similarly reported that there were “indications” of a weekend meeting between the Giants and Ohtani at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

Suffice it to say, most teams have been quite wary of tipping their hand and perhaps harming their chances of hammering out a deal with Ohtani, who clearly wants a free-agent experience that does not play out in the public eye. While there was originally hope that Ohtani might make a decision at this week’s Winter Meetings, over the past 48 hours each of Nightengale, Jon Heyman of the New York Post and others have begun to suggest that Ohtani could continue conducting meetings with teams after this week’s event.

Blue Jays “Believed” To Have Met With Ohtani On Monday

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Blue Jays officials are “believed” to have met with Shohei Ohtani at the team’s complex in Dunedin on Monday, writes Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. It’s the latest development in a free agency process shrouded in secrecy, as Ohtani’s camp has reportedly made clear that the superstar would hold it against teams if they leak pertinent information.

Speculation about Ohtani and the Jays heightened this afternoon when Toronto general manager Ross Atkins switched his media availability to a Zoom conference. Atkins declined to specify his location, but his absence from Nashville’s Winter Meetings indicated he had other priorities. The Jays called the matter a “scheduling conflict.”

Ohtani meeting with Jays’ officials, assuming that was indeed the case, affirms that they’re in the running for the AL MVP. Yet it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a clear favorite. Rosenthal adds that the Dodgers and Cubs are involved, with other teams possibly still under consideration.

To that end, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote this evening that there are “indications” Ohtani had met with Giants’ brass on Saturday. Team officials were spotted at Oracle Park, while Slusser wrote on Saturday of “rumblings” that Ohtani was in San Francisco.

As a result of Ohtani’s evident desire to keep the process as mysterious as possible, executives and coaches with every team involved have steadfastly remained quiet. Angels manager Ron Washington joked at his media availability today that he “didn’t have anything to say about (Ohtani’s free agency) right now, because (he didn’t) want to let anything out of the bag” (video provided by Beyond the Halo).

With Ohtani’s free agency contributing to a slow pace early in the offseason, many fans have hoped for a resolution at the Winter Meetings. That may not be coming. Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote on Monday afternoon that Ohtani could continue meeting with interested teams beyond the conclusion of the meetings on Wednesday.

Astros GM: No Interest In Trading Alex Bregman

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Astros general manager Dana Brown spoke with reporters at this week’s Winter Meetings. Most notably, the second-year baseball operations leader emphatically shot down speculation about the possibility of moving star third baseman Alex Bregman.

“We’re not interested in trading him,” Brown said (video provided by Chandler Rome of the Athletic). “I think Alex knows that and understands that based on our conversations, so I’m not worried one bit about the articles and the rumors. At the end of the day, Alex is a pillar here. … We’re trying to win here.”

That’s a rather firm rejection of any suggestion the Astros could look to deal the two-time All-Star before his final season under contract. Bregman will make $28.5MM next year and hit free agency going into his age-31 campaign. Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote over the weekend that while the Houston organization wasn’t optimistic about the chances of another extension, they had no intention of trading him.

With Houston still firmly in win-now mode as they battle with the World Series champion Rangers (and perhaps the Mariners or Angels) atop the AL West, it’s an understandable course of action. Bregman remains an excellent player, hitting .262/.363/.441 with 25 home runs while appearing in 161 games last season. While his production has dropped from his MVP finalist level of 2018-19, he’s still one of the sport’s best third basemen.

Brown also discussed a few other matters. He noted the club received a fourth minor league option on right-hander Forrest Whitley (via Rome). The one-time top prospect is apparently being moved to relief, as he’ll compete for a bullpen spot in Spring Training. Brown indicated a few months ago that Houston would seek an additional option on Whitley, who has missed extended time in the minor leagues because of various injuries and a 2018 suspension for a violation of the drug program. Whitley has yet to make his major league debut despite being on the 40-man roster since 2020.

Upgrading the relief corps still seems a priority for a front office that saw each of Hector Neris, Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton hit free agency. Brown reiterated that bolstering the bullpen and adding a backup catcher remained offseason goals, although he hinted he might be cautious on the relief front. “I’m not interested in overpaying in the relief market,” he told the Houston beat (relayed by Brian McTaggart of MLB.com).

Tigers Sign A.J. Hinch To Long-Term Extension

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Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris announced today that the club has signed manager A.J. Hinch to a long-term extension. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic was among those to relay the news, adding that the deal was completed the week after the season ended. The details of the new contract were not disclosed but Stavenhagen notes that Hinch’s previous deal ran through 2025. The club also released a statement which announced that Joey Cora will join the coaching staff as third base coach, Anthony Iapoce as first base coach, Ryan Sienko as catching coach and Lance Zawadzki as assistant major league hitting coach.

Hinch, now 49, has now completed three seasons as the bench boss in Detroit. He had previously been manager with the Diamondbacks and Astros, winning the World Series with the latter club in 2017. However, the late 2019 revelations of the sign-stealing scandal in Houston led to Hinch getting suspended by MLB for one year and fired by the club. He was reportedly opposed to the sign-stealing and made attempts to stop it, smashing a monitor on multiple occasions, but the punishment ultimately landed on him for not doing enough to succeed in stopping the scheme.

After serving his suspension by sitting out the 2020 campaign, Hinch quickly garnered interest from other clubs around the league, with Dusty Baker having taken up his previous job in Houston. Despite the suspension, his reputation as a quality skipper hadn’t diminished and he was hired by the rebuilding Tigers. Their first season under Hinch resulted in a record of 77-85, below .500 but their best winning percentage since 2016.

Encouraged by that showing, the club decided to be aggressive going into 2022, signing Eduardo Rodriguez and Javier Báez. But a litany of injuries and some poor performances from those that were healthy led to a disappointing 66-96 campaign. General manager Al Avila was fired and later replaced by Harris, though with the latter getting the POBO title. Hinch survived and the club had another somewhat encouraging season in 2023, getting their win total back up to 78, good enough for second in the American League Central.

It seems that one year together was enough for Harris and Hinch to build a solid working foundation. Harris told Stavenhagen today that he didn’t want Hinch to feel like an inherited manager and offered the extension the day after the season ended. It’s unclear how long the new deal runs but Harris said today that “We are pumped that A.J. is going to be the manager of the Tigers for a long time.”

Mozeliak: Cardinals Listening To Offers On Tyler O’Neill

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3:40pm: In addition to O’Neill, both Carlson and Alec Burleson have drawn trade interest to some extent this offseason, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Both stand as plausible trade candidates themselves, though Mozeliak hasn’t taken the step of publicly declaring that with either player as he did with O’Neill.

In an appearance on MLB Network’s Hot Stove this morning (video link), Mozeliak again touched on his trade talks regarding the outfield, admitting that it would be “a surprise” if some trade involving one of his outfielders doesn’t come together. Specifically, Mozeliak said he hopes to upgrade his bullpen next, whether via the trade of an outfielder or other means.

10:29am: Tyler O’Neill’s status as a potential trade candidate isn’t exactly a well-kept secret. Heading into the winter, it’s been widely expected that the Cardinals would listen to trade offers on both O’Neill and fellow outfielder Dylan Carlson. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak removed any doubt about the likelihood of an O’Neill trade in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM from this week’s Winter Meetings (video link).

“In the outfield, right now, if we were to play tomorrow it’d likely be [Lars Nootbaar], Tommy Edman and [Jordan Walker],” said Mozeliak. “Our fourth outfielder would be Dylan Carlson. … Tyler O’Neill is somebody that we are listening to on trades.”

Mozeliak added that he’s received “a lot of hits” on his outfielders in general, but O’Neill was the only one he specifically highlighted as a potential trade piece. The Cards have been against moving Nootbaar for some time now, and it stands to reason that there’s similar reluctance to consider moving Walker, who entered the 2023 season as one of the game’s top-ranked prospects and posted a .291/.358/.478 slash following the trade deadline.

O’Neill, 28, has ostensibly become an odd man out of the group. While the Cardinals could play Edman in the infield and thus open more playing time for O’Neill, the arrival of prospects like shortstop Masyn Winn, second baseman Nolan Gorman and utilityman Brendan Donovan have crowded the infield outlook as well. Winn, 21, didn’t hit well in last season’s MLB debut (.172/.230/.238), but that came in a sample of just 137 plate appearances — and Mozeliak specifically mentioned him in his MLB Network Radio appearance when describing his infield mix as “pretty solid” with Winn at short, Gorman/Donovan at second base and veterans Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado at the corners.

All signs seem to point to a potential trade of  O’Neill, who as recently as 2021 slashed .286/.352/.560 with 34 homers and Gold Glove defense in left field but has since mustered just a .229/.310/.397 slash in 169 games. Injuries have played a significant factor in those struggles; O’Neill had an IL stint due to a shoulder impingement and a pair of IL stints for hamstring strains during the 2022 season. His 2023 campaign included a trip to the 60-day injured list for a lower back strain and a later return to the IL for a foot sprain.

There’s little doubt that a healthy O’Neill has game-changing power, but O’Neill simply hasn’t been healthy enough in his big league career. He played in 50 games during the shortened 2020 season and 138 games in 2021 but has otherwise rarely been on the field for the majority of a given season. That 2021 campaign is the only time he’s ever reached 100 games played or reached 400 big league plate appearances.

O’Neill is slated to become a free agent at season’s end and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $5.5MM this coming season. The power is clearly legitimate, but he’s been a bit below average at the plate overall throughout these two most recent, injury-riddled seasons. He still grades as a plus defender in left field and is an above-average runner. As far as change-of-scenery candidates go, O’Neill is a fairly appealing one, but the litany of injuries, minimal club control and limited recent track record at the plate will all coalesce to tamp down his value in a trade.

Brewers Re-Sign Wade Miley

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There’s plenty of chatter about the Brewers potentially trading their ace, but Milwaukee is also maintaining some continuity on the starting staff, announcing on Monday that they’ve re-signed veteran southpaw Wade Miley to a one-year deal with a 2025 mutual option. Miley, a client of O’Connell Sports Management, will reportedly be guaranteed $8.5MM in the form of a $7MM salary and a $1.5MM buyout on a $12MM mutual option.

The contract also gives Miley the opportunity to earn another $2.5MM via innings-based incentives. He’d receive $250K bonuses for reaching both 50 and 75 innings, plus another $500K upon reaching 100 innings and $750K for reaching both 125 and 150 innings pitched. Miley also secured a limited no-trade clause and would be paid a $1MM assignment bonus in the event that he’s traded.

Miley, who pitched for Milwaukee in 2018 and again in 2023, will now return for a third stint with the Brew Crew. While he just turned 37 years old a couple weeks ago, the left-hander’s age hasn’t been showing in his recent results. After pitching to a sharp 3.16 ERA in 37 innings during an injury-shortened year with the ’22 Cubs, Miley started 23 games and gave the ’23 Brewers 120 1/3 innings of nearly identical 3.14 ERA ball.

Although Miley’s strikeout rate continues to sit close to the bottom of the league (16.1% in 2023), he’s offset that lack of punchouts with better-than-average command (7.8% walk rate) and a knack for avoiding hard contact. Miley’s 87.3 mph average exit velocity ranked in the 83rd percentile of big league pitchers, and his 31.1% hard-hit rate checked into the 93rd percentile.

Back in 2016-17, Miley’s career had hit something of a crossroads. He’d posted an ERA well north of 5.00 in two consecutive seasons and had to settle for a minor league deal with the Brewers ahead of the 2018 season. He revived his career in Milwaukee, pitching to a 2.57 ERA in 80 1/3 frames, and with the exception of a brief injury-ruined 2020 showing with Cincinnati (5.65 ERA in 14 1/3 innings), the left-hander has been an effective big league starter ever since. Dating back to the 2018 resurgence, Miley sports a 3.43 ERA in 582 2/3 innings.

Miley’s return to the Brewers comes amid ample uncertainty regarding the team’s rotation. The Brewers made the difficult decision to non-tender Brandon Woodruff after it was learned he’d miss the majority of the 2024 season following capsule surgery in his right shoulder. Co-ace Corbin Burnes’ name has flown about the rumor mill frequently in the first month-plus of the offseason, given his status as a free agent next winter. Burnes is expected to test free agency rather than sign an extension, leaving Brewers GM Matt Arnold with another painful decision: hang onto Burnes and hope for one final playoff push with the former NL Cy Young winner, or trade him now and receive substantially more value than Burnes would fetch upon declining a qualifying offer next winter.

At least for now, Burnes slots into the top of the rotation ahead of right-hander Freddy Peralta. Miley gives the Crew a quality third option behind that pair, and Milwaukee still has righties Adrian Houser and Colin Rea for fourth and fifth options, to say nothing of left-hander Aaron Ashby. Milwaukee also has a reported one-year agreement with former Nationals righty Joe Ross, who hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2021 due to injuries but has at times looked like a viable mid-rotation arm. Ross had a second career Tommy John surgery in 2022, so given the recent layoff from pitching, it’s possible he’s viewed more as a swingman option anyhow.

With Miley back in the fold, the Brewers’ projected payroll will land somewhere between $106-116MM  (depending on how this morning’s extension for top prospect Jackson Chourio breaks down). That’s a bit shy of last year’s $118MM Opening Day mark. Potential trades of Burnes and/or shortstop Willy Adames could dramatically alter that outlook, as could further free agent additions.

In many ways, the 2024 season will be something of a transitional year for the Brewers with or without its longtime ace atop the rotation. The Brewers already lost manager Craig Counsell to the rival Cubs, and they’re likely turning center field over to Chourio, who just made history by signing the largest contract ever inked by a player with no Major League service time. Miley affords some continuity on the pitching staff, but the Brewers’ core is in the process of turning over.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported yesterday that Miley and the Brewers were expected to finalize a new deal and first broke the news of the agreement on a one-year deal and mutual option. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers first reported the financial terms and incentive package. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the no-trade protection. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale added the assignment bonus upon being traded.

Phillies Extend Manager Rob Thomson

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The Phillies have extended the contract of manager Rob Thomson through the 2025 season, per a team announcement. He’d previously been signed through the 2024 campaign, so this will tack another year onto his deal and prevent him from entering the coming season with lame-duck status. The Phils also announced the hiring of Dustin Lind and Rafael Pena as assistant hitting coaches. Lind was previously an assistant hitting coach with the Giants. Pena has spent six seasons with the Astros organization and most recently served as their minor league hitting coordinator.

Thomson, who turned 60 in August, spent 15 seasons as a coach between the Yankees and Phillies before finally getting elevated to his first big league managerial gig in 2022, when the Phils dismissed then-skipper Joe Giradi. Thomson, his bench coach, was expected to take over the club for the remainder of the year, but the turnaround enjoyed by the Phillies under his watch has since earned him an increasingly lengthy look as the team’s skipper.

Following Thomson’s appointment as manager in ’22, the Phillies went 65-46 to close out the season, sneaking into a Wild Card berth in the National League playoff scene. They made the most of that longshot playoff bid, toppling the Cardinals in the Wild Card series, the Braves in the NL Division Series and the Padres in the NL Championship Series. The Phils eventually came up short in a 4-2 World Series loss to the Astros, but their ascent to the Fall Classic stands as one of the more remarkable midseason turnarounds in recent memory.

Unsurprisingly, on the heels of that run and with the clubhouse rallying around Thomson as a leader, the Phillies shed the “interim” label last November and inked Thomson a to a two-year contract. The Phils enjoyed further success in 2023, once again earning a Wild Card berth and once again winning multiple postseason series. After an 87-win season in 2022, the Phils won 90 games this past season before besting the Marlins in the Wild Card round and, for a second straight season, overcoming the division-winning Braves in the NLDS. The Phillies fell in the seventh game of the NLCS against the World Series runner-up Diamondbacks.

The 35-year-old Lind, in addition to four years with the Giants organization, spent two seasons with the Mariners as a quality assurance coach and director of hitting development. Pena, 33, has served as a minor league hitting coach with the Astros in addition to coaching stints in the Arizona Fall League and the Dominican Winter League. They’ll both work underneath hitting coach Kevin Long, one of the sport’s most respected voices in that position. Long is returning for his third season as Philadelphia’s hitting coach.

Jung Hoo Lee, Woo Suk Go Officially Posted

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11:30am: Lee and reliever Woo Suk Go have both been officially posted, per Alden González of ESPN. The posting window for each starts tomorrow at 7am Central and goes until 4pm on January 3. It was reported a few weeks ago that Go would likely be posted for MLB clubs.

2:12am: The Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO will post Jung Hoo Lee today, the team announced (as reported by Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News). MLB clubs will have a 30-day window to negotiate with the South Korean star, beginning on Tuesday, December 5 at 7:00 am CT.

Lee is expected to sign a multi-year deal, with the MLBTR prediction coming in at five years and $50MM. In addition, the MLB team that signs him will owe the Heroes a posting fee, calculated as 20% of the first $25MM in his contract, 17.5% of the next $25MM, and 15% of any additional salary. Therefore, if Lee signs for $50MM exactly, his posting fee will total another $9.375MM. That’s no small number, but it’s hard to imagine it would scare off any serious contenders for his services.

After all, Lee is widely considered one of the best position players available in free agency; he ranked 15th on the MLBTR Top 50 Free Agents list. While it can be difficult to predict how hitters from foreign leagues will adjust to MLB pitching, the young outfielder’s resume is impossible to ignore.

A five-time winner of the Golden Glove Award, given annually to the top overall player at each position, the 25-year-old has slashed .340/.407/.491 with 65 home runs and 69 stolen bases across seven seasons in the KBO. He plays all three outfield positions, including center field, but it is his hit tool that has already brought him so much success in his young career. Lee has never hit below .318 in a season, batting as high as .360 in his 2022 MVP campaign.

Even in an injury-shortened 2023 season, Lee posted an .860 OPS and a 139 wRC+ in 86 games. Some MLB suitors might be concerned by the ankle injury that cost him the final few months of the KBO calendar, but there is currently no reason to believe he won’t be ready for spring training. Thus, he will surely draw widespread interest over the next 30 days given his youth and consistently excellent performance throughout his professional career. As of mid-November, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that 20 different teams were keeping tabs on Lee. Those known to be interested include the Yankees, Giants, Padres, and Mets.

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