San Francisco Giants Exec Roasts MLB Reporter Jon Heyman In Response To Jung Hoo Lee Free-Agent Report

The San Francisco Giants may have finally gotten the big free agent they've been chasing for several years.

Well, maybe.

Jung-Hoo Lee is reportedly set to sign with the Giants on a six-year, $113 million deal, with an opt-out after four years. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the two sides had come to the agreement, before getting absolutely roasted by Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi.

Zaidi was asked about Heyman's tweet about Lee and replied, "Jon Heyman? I'll say this, he's got a better chance of being accurate if he actually spelled the guy's name correctly."

Ouch.

If Heyman's right, it would mark the first big signing for the Giants in recent years, despite multiple attempts. San Francisco famously came to an agreement with shortstop Carlos Correa, before issues with his ankle led to a wild series of events that led to Correa landing back with the Minnesota Twins.

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 08: Carlos Correa #4 of the Minnesota Twins bats during game two of the Division Series against the Houston Astros on October 8, 2023 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)

Giants Playing Catch Up With Rival Dodgers

Lee became one of the most desirable bats on the market after the Dodgers mammoth deal with Shohei Ohtani. And boy oh boy do the Giants need help on offense.

San Francisco scored just 674 runs on offense in 2023, second fewest in the National League. For context, the Braves outscored them by 232 runs, a whopping 1.4 runs per game. Zaidi attempted to upgrade the offense last offseason with the Correa agreement, and they were reportedly heavily involved in the Aaron Judge free agency.

Instead, the team pivoted to Michael Conforto, who had a league average 100 wRC+, despite an $18 million salary. Lee had an outstanding 2022, but 2023 saw most of his power dissipate and an injury ended his season early.

He hit just six home runs in 86 games in the mediocre KBO, but has a stellar defensive reputation. Just what the Giants needed, another light hitting, defense first outfielder. Pre-winter expectations were that he'd garner somewhere around a $50 million contract over five years, but the Giants apparently flew past that to convince a left handed hitter to play at Oracle Park. Something they weren't able to do with Ohtani.

While Lee could prove to be a valuable addition, it's far from the Shohei Ohtani-level splash that Giants fans were hoping for. And after a disappointing 2022 and 2023 saw San Francisco finish 30 and 21 games back of first place Dodgers, the pressure is on Zaidi to improve the team quickly.

Maybe Lee is the first step in the process. Or maybe Jon Heyman was wrong again.