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After an underwhelming 2021 rookie season, Ha-Seong Kim has emerged as a standout huge leaguer over the past two years, posting an 8.1 fWAR on account of his mixture of above-average (109 wRC+) hitting, wonderful baserunning, and top-tier protection. The Padres have definitely gotten a terrific return on the four-year, $28MM contract they signed to draw Kim from the KBO League throughout the 2020-21 offseason, but with Kim now coming into the ultimate 12 months of that deal, his time in San Diego could possibly be working quick.
Whereas a mutual choice is in place for the 2025 season, such choices are nearly by no means exercised by each events, and the 28-year-old Kim looks like a lock to once more hit the open market subsequent winter now that he has a longtime MLB observe report. If the Padres don’t really feel they’ll prolong or re-sign the infielder, a commerce stays a risk, and The Athletic’s Dennis Lin writes that “internally, not less than, San Diego has been discussing the concept for weeks.”
Whether or not or not a commerce really occurs stays to be seen, as a Padres official instructed Lin that the return would should be “means above the road” to get the membership to really transfer Kim. As well as, Kim can even naturally be one of many centerpieces of the season-opening two-game sequence between the Padres and Dodgers in Seoul on March 20-21, and Lin doubts that the Friars take the awkward place of shifting a Korean star previous to the primary MLB regular-season video games to ever happen in South Korea.
That being mentioned, including a number of long-term belongings for one 12 months of Kim’s providers is clearly a tempting idea for a Padres group that has a variety of wants to deal with. Buying and selling Kim would create an enormous gap in San Diego’s infield, although the group remains to be in dire want of outfielders and as many as two beginning pitchers to fit behind Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, and the newly-acquired Michael King. The excessive value of pitching would make signing a starter costlier for the Padres than maybe signing an infielder as a stopgap Kim substitute, plus high prospect Jackson Merrill could possibly be a part of the large league infield image in some unspecified time in the future in 2024.
Value-cutting has been one of many main storylines of the San Diego offseason, and because the Padres appear to be stepping again from their monetary splurges of the final couple of seasons, retaining Kim seems to be like much less of a risk. The group is reportedly looking to cut back spending to round $200MM in payroll in 2024, and ideally get underneath the $237MM luxurious tax threshold if potential. After signing Yuki Matsui and Woo Suk Go to improve the bullpen, the Padres are projected (through Roster Resource) to have a $156.3MM payroll and a tax variety of just below $212MM, so there isn’t a ton of flexibility for the group so as to add significant outfield and rotation assist.
Kim is an enormous a part of this monetary image, within the sense that he’s fairly a cut price at solely an $8MM wage. Since Manny Machado could be restricted to early-season DH responsibility whereas he recovers from elbow surgical procedure, Kim carries even higher import inside San Diego’s infield, as he could be wanted to deal with third base whereas Machado heals up. Jake Cronenworth would possible transfer first base to second base within the occasion of a Kim commerce, however that will then go away the Padres in want of a primary baseman and not less than a short lived substitute on the scorching nook.
It isn’t a attain to counsel that Kim could be nearly essentially the most prized commerce asset available on the market if the Padres made him out there, as Lin notes that the Friars have already drawn “widespread curiosity” in Kim from rival groups. Although he primarily performed second base final season, Kim received the NL utility Gold Glove for his all-around defensive work at second, third, and shortstop. Contemplating what number of contenders and would-be contenders have a necessity at not less than one in every of these infield positions, as much as half the league could possibly be seen as believable suitors to bid on Kim, even when some groups are higher geared up than others to fulfill San Diego’s excessive asking worth.
Kim’s $8MM wage would possibly match the price range of smaller-market groups just like the Rays, Guardians, Pirates, or Royals, although maybe solely Tampa (who has a protracted historical past of trades with the Padres) is the one true World Sequence contender of that group that could be impressed to make an all-in transfer to land Kim. The Brewers, Blue Jays, Mariners, Giants, Angels, Tigers, Cubs, and Marlins all have holes to fill of their infield, even when San Francisco could be much less possible if San Diego doesn’t wish to deal Kim throughout the NL West. Golf equipment just like the Twins, Braves, Yankees, Pink Sox, or Phillies are extra speculative candidates since one other infielder in all probability must be moved to create area for Kim, however an aggressive play can’t be dominated out.
Although Kim is just underneath contract for 2024, some groups would possibly view him as a longer-term alternative in the event that they really feel they’ve an opportunity to increase or re-sign him subsequent offseason. Even when golf equipment may additionally see a Kim commerce as strictly a transfer for the approaching season, he’s definitely a candidate to obtain a qualifying supply, so a group may recoup a draft decide as compensation if he signed elsewhere.
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