Dae-Ho Lee returns to former Korean club by agreeing to four-year deal

Former Mariners first baseman Dae-Ho Lee returned Monday to his former club by agreeing to a four-year deal with the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball League for $12.9 million.

The deal was first reported by Jeeho Yoo of the Yongap News Agency, which is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Yoo also reported Lee’s deal is $4.3 million more than any any previous KBO contract for a free agent.

Lee, 34, batted .253 last season with 14 homers and 49 RBIs for the Mariners in 104 games after signing with the club as a free agent after four years in Japan following 11 seasons with Lotte.

The Mariners chose not to pursue Lee in the off-season after he again became a free agent. Instead, they acquired Danny Valencia in a trade with Oakland to serve as a right-handed portion of a platoon in tandem with rookie Dan Vogelbach.

Bob Dutton: @TNT_Mariners

This story was originally published January 23, 2017 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Dae-Ho Lee returns to former Korean club by agreeing to four-year deal."