Report: Dae-Ho Lee returns to Korea after 1 MLB season

Dae-Ho Lee's brief career in the United States has come to an end.

The Korean free-agent first baseman, who jumped from Asia to Major League Baseball with the Seattle Mariners last season, is reportedly returning to his home country for 2017 and beyond. Lee has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $12.9-million deal with the Korea Baseball Organization's Lotte Giants, according to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News.

Seattle was reportedly interested in bringing back Lee for the coming season, but the 34-year-old indicated in November that he wasn't happy with his platoon role. There's no indication that any other big-league teams were pursuing him.

"My manager (Scott Servais) told me he’d like to have me for next year, but this isn’t the time to talk about my contract status," Lee told reporters after returning to Korea at season's end, according to Yonhap News. "Playing time is an important factor to consider when choosing a team."

Lee previously spent 11 seasons with Lotte, based in Busan, South Korea, from 2001-11 before embarking on a three-year stint in the Japanese leagues. The 34-year-old crossed the Pacific to join the Mariners last winter, and ultimately won a job as the right-handed half of part of a first-base platoon with Adam Lind.

In his lone major-league season, Lee hit .253/.312/.428 with 14 homers, 49 RBIs, and 74 strikeouts; he was particularly effective against southpaws, mashing lefties to the tune of a .775 OPS and eight of his home runs.

Lee's signature moment in the majors took place on April 13 of last year when he became just the third Mariner ever to hit a pinch-hit walk-off homer, and the oldest rookie to hit a walk-off blast since 1950.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)