Korean first baseman Dae-ho Lee and the Seattle Mariners have agreed to a one-year, $4 million minor league deal for the 2016 season, according to Min Hoon-ki of the Yonhap News.

Lee's Situation

According to Daniel Kim of KBSn, Lee started getting offers from major league teams on December 15, 2015. The 33-year-old slugger was a free agent prior to being signed by the Mariners, so he did not have to go through the posting process. Lee is a potential fit between first base and designated hitter. 

Who is Dae-ho Lee?

The right-handed hitter played for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Pacific League in Japan last season and hit .282/.368/.524 with 31 homers and 98 RBI across 141 games. It was the best season for the first baseman since 2010 in Korea. 

Lee is a veteran in the Korean Baseball Organization and the Nippon Professional Baseball league. In the KBO, Lee played for the Busan Lotte Giants (2001-2011), while he played for the Osaka Orix Buffaloes (2012-2013) and the Hawks (2014-2015) in the NPB. 

Over his 15-year career, Lee has played in 1,720 games while collecting 1,872 hits, 316 doubles, seven triples, 323 home runs, 1,157 RBI and 711 walks with a .303/.387/.514 slash line. 

Will Lee Produce in the MLB?

It would make sense that Lee will see a dip in offensive output, but he should be a solid platoon hitter with Adam Lind. On the defensive end, Lee is hard to predict. The slugger will probably end up being used as a designated hitter when Nelson Cruz can play in the field against a left-handed pitcher. Also, look for Lee to split time with Lind at first base. 

With both Lee and Gabby Sanchez competing for spots on the roster, it is obvious that the general manager of Seattle, Jerry Dipoto, does not have much confidence in the ability of Jesus Montero

Other Korean players in the MLB

Lee is the fourth Korean player to sign with a major league team this offseason. Byung-ho Park signed with the Minnesota Twins, Hyun-soo Kim to the Baltimore Orioles and Seung-hwan Oh agreed to a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. Lee is very good friends with Shin-soo Choo, who plays for the Texas Rangers, and should be seeing him a lot as both Lee and Choo compete in the American League West division. 

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About the author
Evan Petzold
Evan Petzold is a Detroit-based journalist with expertise in covering the Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. A member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) and Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DBSA), he brings a unique skill set in reporting and broadcasting to the table.