General Manager Son Hyuk: “We will add weight to the catcher lineup.”

Professional baseball's Hanwha Eagles recruited veteran catcher Lee Jae-won (35).

On the 28th, Hanwha announced that it had signed a contract with Jaewon Lee for an annual salary of 50 million won.

Jaewon Lee, who graduated from Incheon High School, was selected in the first round of the 2006 rookie draft and wore the uniform of SK Wyverns, the predecessor of SSG. He recorded a career batting average of 0.278 in 1,426 games over 17 seasons from 2006 to this year, 1,087 hits, 108 home runs, 612 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.762.

Jaewon Lee is a catcher with extensive championship experience. He played as a backup catcher and won championships in 2007, 2008, and 2010, and after becoming the starting catcher in 2014, he contributed to the 2018 championship.

The team won the championship in 2022, but Jaewon Lee's influence was minimal. He appeared in 105 games last season and had a batting average of just .201 with 4 home runs and 28 RBIs and an OPS of 0.574. He said his grades were worse this year. He was limited to 27 appearances and performed poorly with a batting average of 0.091, 2 RBI, and an OPS of 0.242.

SSG did not include Jaewon Lee in the list of 35 protected players in the second draft, and Jaewon Lee was not nominated by another team. Jaewon Lee requested to be released after consulting with the club.

By joining hands with Hanwha, Jaewon Lee will wear the uniform of a team other than SSG for the first time since his professional debut. Hanwha, which recruited Lee Jae-won, who has extensive experience including winning the Korean Series, secured backup catcher resources to support Choi Jae-hoon and Park Sang-eon.

Hanwha general manager Son Hyuk said, “We decided that there was a lack of experienced catchers other than Choi Jae-hoon and Park Sang-eon, and that there was a sufficient need to prepare for injuries and strengthen the depth (player base), so we recruited them.” He added, “When prospect Heo In-seo returns from Sangmu in the second half of next season, “We expect Jaewon Lee to add weight to the catcher lineup,” he said. 19가이드03