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The Mariners just signed Shin-Soo Choo's Korean elementary school teammate

(Toru Takahashi)
By Mike Bertha

The Mariners have potentially added an international bat to their platoon at first base with the signing of Korean slugger Dae-Ho Lee. A former KBO star, Lee spent the last four seasons playing in Japan's Nippon Professional League, where he hit .293 with 98 homers and 236 walks and became the first Korean-born player to win MVP of the Japan Series.
Lee signed a Minor League deal with an invitation to big league Spring Training and the chance to earn an additional $4 million in performance incentives.
The 33-year-old slugger was born in Busan, South Korea, where he attended the same elementary school as Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo:

The pair later played together on the 2000 Korean World Junior Baseball Championship team that won that season's tournament in Canada. Back then, only 16-year-old Joe Mauer bested Lee's average in the tournament. The more ya know ...

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