Mariners eyeing Lee Dae-ho
Lee Dae-ho
By Baek Byung-yeul
Free agent baseball player Lee Dae-ho’s next destination has not been decided yet but it looks like the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB), the team Lee played for this year, are eyeing the 34-year-old Korean slugger.
According to the News Tribune’s Tuesday report, the Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto “previously confirmed the club’s interest in pursuing a new deal with Lee in part because there are few viable right-handed platoon options available either within the organization or in the free-agent market.”
After playing 15 seasons in Korea and Japan, Lee signed a one-year minor league deal with the Mariners during the offseason and played a platoon role at first base with left-handed hitter Adam Lind. While playing 104 games in his debut season, he recorded .253 of batting average with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs.
Lee will officially become a free agent a day after the conclusion of the World Series this month, but it remains to be seen whether the Korean baseball star wants to renew his contract with the Mariners.
Upon arriving in Korea on Monday, Lee expressed his gratitude to the Mariners manager Scott Servais and his teammates especially Robin Cano for showing him warm interest, but he said he has not decided where he would like to play next year.
“Nothing has been decided yet. As the MLB season has not yet concluded, I will try to meet with my agent soon. Whether it will be a team in the United States, Japan or Korea, playing time is most important (when choosing a team),” Lee told reporters upon arriving at Incheon International Airport.
While spending his offseason break in Korea, Lee participated in a charity golf event at a golf club near Seoul on Wednesday to raise funds for senior citizens living alone.