SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants had high expectations for Jung Hoo Lee when they signed the former KBO star to a six-year, $113 million contract in December 2023.
While Lee has put together stretches of star-level production at the plate, he’s struggled to sustain that success over his first three seasons in San Francisco. In 2026, Lee set career highs in batting average (.276), home runs (10), RBIs (57) and stolen bases (12), but he still finished with a 105 OPS+, leaving him only a tick above league average.
Known for his elite contact skills, Lee batted .302 with a .762 OPS over 88 games in the first half this year. But he once again faded after the All-Star break, hitting .236 with a .663 OPS over his final 55 games of the season.
“It was like a rollercoaster season, in some kind of way,” Lee said via interpreter Justin Han last month. “And of course, when baseball ends, there's always a little bit of regret. But I think that there's a few [areas] where I could have done better.”
In addition to his streaky offense, Lee wasn’t much of an asset on defense. The Giants moved him off center field at the beginning of the year to accommodate Gold Glove Award-winner Harrison Bader, but the shift to right field didn’t yield much improvement for Lee, who tallied -4 outs above average at his new corner spot this year.
Despite the mixed results, the Giants view Lee’s 2026 campaign as a step forward and are confident he’ll be able to tap into more of his potential in the future.
“You look at the season, he got better in every area a little bit,” manager Tony Vitello said. “For instance, he held his weight better this year, and his strength, than he did last year. There's about 15 different topics like that, including being around the wall and going to that corner. I think if he made that jump from last year to this year, he should be able to make another jump in all those areas. And if he does, I think everybody'd be pretty dang pleased.
“I think it's a bunch of categories that he needs to continue to improve. But I thought he had a great season for us. He essentially played the whole year, for the most part. Obviously, he had some streaks in there where he swung the hell out of it, and he certainly makes the fans happy when he's playing.”
The Giants currently have 10 players -- Lee, Bader, Casey Schmitt, Drew Gilbert, Jonah Cox, Victor Bericoto, Bo Davidson, Scott Bandura, Turner Hill and Grant McCray -- listed on their outfield depth chart, so they could consider trading from that surplus to address other roster needs this offseason.
Moving Lee could be a possibility if the Giants want to shed some payroll, but finding a taker for the 28-year-old wouldn’t be easy, since he’s owed close to $23 million in 2027 and will have the ability to opt out of the final two years of his contract.
Lee’s popularity with the fan base could also dampen the chances of a trade, as he’s emerged as the club’s top-selling jersey and has given the Giants a chance to make inroads into the Korean market.
Lee, for his part, recognizes that he still has room to improve in the Majors, so he’s eager to show that he can live up to his contract and establish himself as an impact player for the Giants.
“I think consistency would be something that would be a big key for next year,” Lee said. “I think the consistency -- personally and as the team collectively -- just connects to natural big wins. I feel like it starts with me just being consistent. I just want to help out with the team a lot.”