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Heyman said that with his 26 homeruns and .646 batting average, Lee, who will become a free agent after this season, is leading the Central League. However, the magazine quoted a scout as saying, "He's good but not quite as good as (Hideki) Matsui."

Major League teams have being pursuing the athlete since 1999, with major market teams with big bucks keeping a Lee Seung-yeop file. Last month the Yankees scout in Asia, John Cox, stopped by to check out high school baseball in Korea and then headed to Japan to personally check on Lee.

How much are they willing to pay? One of Lee's predecessors with the Giants is Yomiuri No. 4 Matsui, who made about US$21 million since he signed with the Yankees three years ago, an average of about $7 million per year. But there is talk that if Lee were to join a big league team right now, he would have difficulty commanding that kind of money. In contrast to Matsui, who had matured into the premier slugger in the Japanese League, often referred to as the Major League's supply house, Lee has only spent three seasons there, so there's nothing to be disappointed about.

Three years ago, when the Majors first came knocking, Lee secured offers from teams including the Dodgers and the Seattle Mariners for hundreds of thousands of dollars. With the various incentives it was over a million, but a disappointed Lee turned to Japan. But thanks to his recent activities including the WBC and the Japanese League, the athlete's value has jumped up a few levels. He may not be able to rake in Matsui’s income, but it is the common belief of many Major League scouts that Lee should be able to pull in some $3-5 million annually.

(englishnews@chosun.com )