The Yankees received bad news on Monday about the injured Cody Bellinger, who joined fellow All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge on the injured list over the weekend. According to manager Aaron Boone, Bellinger is expected to miss four to six weeks with the hamstring strain he sustained on Saturday against the Phillies. With two of the Yankees’ most dependable outfield starters on the shelf for an extended period, there will be more pressure to add another quality bat so the Yankees can keep pace with the Rays
and resurgent Red Sox in the AL East race.
Jung Hoo Lee of the Giants would not be a mere stopgap option if the Yankees acquired him. He is currently in the third year of a six-year, $113 million contract he signed with San Francisco in December 2023. The KBO superstar known as “The Grandson of the Wind” has had a somewhat uneven beginning to his MLB career, but he has undeniable bat-to-ball skills and would bring a more contact-oriented look to a Yankee lineup which has been trying to find the right balance between contact and power over the past few seasons. Acquiring Lee would be a bet that he could fit in the Bronx beyond the next few calendar months.
Does it make sense for the Yankees? There are some compelling arguments on both ends. You can get a general sense for both sides by taking a quick glance at his percentile rankings.
Lee is comfortable playing all three outfield positions, sports a rare-for-the-era .302 batting average, and is one of the most strikeout-averse players in baseball. He has a strong arm in the field and makes up for merely average foot speed with good baserunning instincts. As a left-handed hitter with a line drive swing, there is something of an argument that he could benefit from the friendlier right-field dimensions at Yankee Stadium. We’re not promising 20-homer seasons for Lee going forward, but a few extra round-trippers here and there could provide a boost to his line.
Furthermore, Lee has proven to be a capable clutch hitter for the Giants this season if you value that as a possible skill. He’s hit .313 with runners in scoring position with 31 RBIs, and that average jacks all the way up to .406 with two outs. In at-bats which Baseball Reference considers “high leverage,” he has gone 21-for-57: a .389 clip. Now, his overall career numbers are not quite as stellar in these categories; 2026 has been a career year for him at the plate so far (there’s a reason why RISP numbers can be somewhat fuzzy). But they’ve always been good. There’s not much that will overwhelm this KBO MVP.
The reasons to hold off are equally noticeable in his profile. Lee does not work walks, he does not hit the ball particularly hard, and he has never graded out as a strong defender by Statcast Fielding Run Value. Lee played most of his first two seasons in center, but he got bumped to right field this year. Oracle Park’s outfield is a tough field to play, but part of the appeal of Lee as a free agent two years ago was his ability to cover ground in the field—that hasn’t really panned out.
Now to be clear, Lee is not exactly a chicken with his head cut off out there, but if he doesn’t have the range to play a solid center field, his roster fit is harder to justify. Bellinger and Judge, when they return to play, will be locked in as your corner outfielders. Trent Grisham, the incumbent in center, is a pending free agent. I doubt the Yankees would grab Grisham’s de facto replacement while Grisham himself is still a productive member the roster. So while Lee would be a good option to fill in for them while they’re out, it makes less sense as a 2027-and-beyond move.
There’s also the question of whether the Giants would want to move on from Lee. They made a commitment to Lee when they signed that six-year deal, and while that was the previous regime’s handiwork, there’s no obvious reason to move on. JHL’s results have not been tantamount to superstardom thus far; the return they would receive in a trade would reflect that. San Francisco doesn’t exactly have an heir apparent in the outfield either. The top of their farm system is quite young and infielder-heavy, and the current 40-man roster is not loaded for bear with promising talent. Does Buster Posey want to give Lee’s at-bats to Grant McCray? Christian Koss?
Jung Hoo Lee has an intriguing throwback skillset. He hits like Ichiro because he modeled his game after Ichiro—and it’s easy to feel like he could add an extra dimension to the Yankees’ lineup. But without a clear defensive home and a clear incentive from the Giants to trade him away, it would be something of a surprise to see the Grandson of the Wind don the pinstripes in 2026.
