The case for and against SF Giants trading away Jung Hoo Lee this offseason

At the trade deadline during the 2026 season, the SF Giants made it clear that there were only two untouchables in trade talks: Logan Webb and Jung Hoo Lee. Maybe Bryce Eldridge was in that mix as well, but Webb and Lee were reportedly the two names they were not listening to offers on.

Now, as the team confronts the reality of a brutal 65-97 record with obvious areas to improve on the roster when it comes to the pitching staff, the Giants will once again have to decide what they want to do with Lee.

This is not a comfortable question at all because Lee is a fan-favorite with a lot of Giants fans. He has his own cheering section and when he is right at the plate he is fun to watch. Even if the defensive metrics aren't high on him in right field, he can still make some fun plays and has a strong arm and his speed on the bases makes him fun to watch in multiple ways.

Then there's the cold hard reality that the Giants already have a lot of outfielders either knocking on the door or who proved in 2026 that they can have some success at the big league level. Combine that with the fact that Lee really struggled in the second half of 2026 and finished the year hitting .276/.320/.404 with 10 home runs and 57 runs batted in and the case to trade him becomes a bit stronger.

It's not as if Lee had an awful year by any stretch, but the Giants signed him to a six-year, $113 million deal hoping he might be the next Ichiro Suzuki with a nickname like "Grandson of the Wind" and the look of a K-Pop star.

In reality, he's been much closer to his good friend Mike Yastrzemski in terms of overall production which means that he is a solid player, but not the superstar they hoped that they were getting.

Both sides have a point when it comes to trading Jung Hoo Lee

Those who want the Giants to trade him will point to Bo Davidson who showed promise in his brief big league stint in 2026 and hit 29 home runs in the minors. The argument is that sticking him in right field will probably give you just as valuable a player which is a bit risky because Davidson is still an unknown quantity while you at least roughly know what you're getting with Lee.

Those who want Lee to stay aren't just making some irrational, emotional plea. He's a solid player and it's not like trading him will be easy. He can opt out of his contract after the 2027 season and even if he decides to opt in, which seems likely unless he has a huge 2027, he will be owed $20.5 million in both 2028 and 2029 which is a lot for a guy who has been worth 3 WAR in his big league career.

Then there's the marketing aspect of it all. The Giants want marketable players and Lee is the easiest to market of them all. He is also integral to the team's plan to gain inroads in South Korea so there may be a chance, and this is purely speculation, that the front office is not fully at liberty to trade Lee if it wants to.

If they do trade him, they had better get something decent in return. Getting rid of him just to get rid of him doesn't make any sense but if they get a quality big league pitcher in return who will be with the team for at least a few years then it may be worth it.

Trading Lee makes logical sense, but my gut tells me it probably won't happen this offseason especially with all the strangeness of the looming lockout. I could be wrong though, so if I am please do not come after me Hoo-Lee-Gans I truly meant no harm.

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