In an article titled "2023-24 MLB TOP 40 FA Big Board" published on December 8, "The Athletic" summarized the ranking and analysis of the top 40 free agents in the stove league, the expected contract size, and the optimal destination. The TOP 40 ranking was selected as the average after adding up the individual rankings of five writers, including Keith Law, Tim Britton, Aaron Gleiman, Enosaris and Jim Bowden.
With FA's biggest player Shohei Ohtani ranking first overall, pitcher Aaron Nola, who already signed a seven-year, $172 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, ranking second, and Japanese ace pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto ranking third, two Korean players were also listed in the top 40.
Lee Jung-hoo was ranked 16th overall. New York Mets reporter Tim Britten placed Lee Jung-hoo at the 10th, New York Mets reporter Tim Britten at the 13th, Gleiman at the 17th, and Sarris at the 15th, respectively. Bowden, a former general manager, ranked 37th with a rather crude score.
Reporter Britton expected Lee Jung-hoo to sign a four-year contract worth a total of $56 million, and recommended the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals as the best teams. However, the Yankees have recruited three outfielders, Alex Verdugo, Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, so the possibility of recruiting Lee Jung-hoo has expired.
"The Athletic" introduced Lee Jung-hoo as a 25-year-old player who can play a center field in the free agent market where many corner outfielders in their 30s stand out," adding, "Lee Jung-hoo could be the next target if he can't afford Cody Bellinger's ransom." Cody Bellinger, who is ranked higher than Lee Jung-hoo, is the only FA outfielder in the rankings. The media expected Bellinger to win a six-year total of $162 million. 사설토토
"Lee Jung-hoo, who was the 2022 KBO League MVP for the Kiwoom Heroes, had a difficult season due to a broken ankle in 2023," the media said. "Nevertheless, Lee Jung-hoo recorded an OPS of about 32% higher than the entire league players in the last three seasons. This is similar to Kang Jung-ho's record before he entered the Major League and better than Kim Ha-sung's performance before he went to the Padres." He then pointed out that "He recorded 23 home runs in the 2022 season, but only once in the season he recorded a double-digit home run," and pointed out that he is not a long hitter.
Ryu Hyun-jin
Meanwhile, Ryu, who became an FA, was ranked 36th. Sarris gave Ryu the highest score at 27th, followed by Bowden at 35th and Britton at 36th, respectively. Keith Law and Gleiman did not include Ryu in the top 40.
The size of Ryu Hyun-jin's contract, which Tim Britton expects, is $11 million per year. The best teams were Arizona, Boston, and the New York Mets. For reference, Britton had previously expected Lin and Maeda to sign a one-year, $11 million contract after tying Ryu with veterans such as Lance Lynn and Kenta Maeda in his previous column. Lin signed with St. Louis for a one-year, $11 million, almost as Britton expected, and Maeda signed a two-year, $24 million contract (Detroit), which far exceeded Britton's expectations.
The media introduced Ryu Hyun-jin, "He has a long injury history, with only three of the past eight seasons exceeding 100 innings, but he was effective until his mid-30s," adding, "He started 60 games and recorded a 3.97 ERA during a four-year, $80 million contract with Toronto, which just ended." He then said, "When he turns 37, he is almost certainly a one-year contract FA player, and he is likely to be in the back of a certain starter."
However, media outlets also expressed concerns about Ryu. "Ryu's average fastball speed was the lowest among all starting pitchers at 88.6 miles last season, but he rarely exceeded 90 miles even when he was the healthiest," the media said. "He is still successful in the way he has done, using the strike zone as acrobatics and dealing with right-handed hitters with changeups and curves. However, it is questionable whether he has any potential to rise further in the future."