Kim Ha-sung (29, San Diego Padres), winner of the Gold Glove in the National League of Major League Baseball (MLB), is constantly at the center of the trade rumors. One thing is clear, however, that the high value cannot be left out of the trade discussion.
Denise Lin, a reporter for The Athletic’s San Diego, predicted this on the 11th (Korea Standard Time) by publishing an article in the form of answering questions about San Diego.
The first thing that came up was the possibility of Kim Ha-sung’s trade and the estimated amount needed to renew the contract. First, when asked if trading Kim Ha-sung is the best chance to fill all the remaining holes in the roster, he said, “I think so. Among the trade candidates for the team this offseason, Kim Ha-sung is receiving the most attention. He has nine months left before he is eligible for free agency, and the Padres will likely spare the money needed to keep him.”
However, Lynn had a different opinion. “If promising Jackson Merrill is ready, he can replace Kim Ha-sung at a low price somewhere in the infield. And after trading pending FA Juan Soto and Scott Barlow for various controllable assets, San Diego logically has an obligation to seek similar moves against Kim Ha-sung,” he said. “Kim Ha-sung’s combination of Gold Glove defense and cheap 2024 salary drew more attention from teams than just a handful.”
San Diego also highly values Kim Ha-sung. “Of course, the Padres offered a high price in talks with other clubs. As a club official said right before the winter meeting, potential compensation for Kim Ha-sung will have to go “well beyond a certain level,” and regarding the timing of the trade, Lin said, “A trade before Kim’s scheduled March 20 homecoming at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome is not a viable but not a profitable deal.”
MLB has already been promoting the opening series of the San Diego and LA Dodgers in Seoul next year. Interest in the showdown between San Diego, represented by Kim Ha-sung and Ko Woo-seok, and the Dodgers, which are full of star players, including Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is also very hot in Korea. Analysts say that Kim Ha-sung will not be dumped by trading him ahead of this guaranteed box office card.
Nevertheless, he still hinted at the possibility of Kim Ha-sung’s trade. “Even though the prospects for the transfer market are not good, San Diego wants to be competitive in 2024, and Kim Ha-sung can give great value with an annual salary of 8 million dollars,” he said. “The fact that the three most productive players (Soto, Blake Snell, and Josh Hader) last season were close to the FA also played a role.” 헤라카지노
Lin said that general manager A.J. Preller is reasonable, but it will not be easy to keep Kim Ha-sung and find two starting outfielders and at least one starting pitcher within the budget, adding, “As of now, San Diego can afford to maintain high demands for Kim Ha-sung. Perhaps an injury may occur in spring training, increasing demand for central infielders.”
There were also questions about how much would be appropriate if Kim Ha-sung was caught. Lynn introduced shortstop Dansby Swanson, who signed a seven-year, 177 million-dollar contract with the Chicago Cubs. He later won his first career Gold Glove. Trevor Story, who usually plays second base, signed a six-year, 140 million-dollar contract with the Boston Red Sox at the age of 29. “They both performed much better than Kim Ha-sung and both have higher potential in attack, but the recent two FA contracts are likely to be examples of reference for Kim and his agent. Kim Ha-sung recorded 8.1 fWAR (contribution to victory over substitute players based on Fangraph) as a Gold Glove candidate in the shortstop and second baseman categories last two seasons, and he will turn 29 in October. He almost stayed in the stadium and unlike Story, he has no problem with throwing arms,” Lynn said.
Kim Ha-sung played 152 games this season, posting a batting average of 0.260 140 hits, 17 homers, 60 RBIs, 84 runs scored, 38 steals, an on-base percentage of 0.351, a slugging percentage of 0.398, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.749. He also covered both second and third bases in defense, and became the winner of the Gold Glove in the NL utility category. He garnered votes from MVP and was also nominated for Silver Slugger.
Kim Ha-sung signed a 4+1 year contract with San Diego when he entered the big league. In his fourth year, he will receive an annual salary of 8 million dollars this season, and then a mutual agreement will determine whether to add another year. There is no reason for Kim Ha-sung, who made a soft landing in the big league, to stay one more year for just 8 million dollars. San Diego wants to hold on to Kim Ha-sung, but it will have to offer a multi-year contract for a much larger amount.
“If San Diego does something unexpected before the opening of the season, it will be possible to sign a seven-year extension that guarantees between $130 million (W171.7 billion) and $150 million (W198.1 billion) to Kim Ha-sung, including 2024 (If the Padres were the unexpected before the season opener, a seven-year extension that covers 2024 and guarantees Kim between $130 million and $150 million like it could have done the trick),” Lin predicted.
Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) was also mentioned. “San Francisco signed a six-year, $113 million contract with Lee Jung-hoo, a close friend of Kim Ha-sung. He also agreed to the posting fee of $18.825 million,” Lin said. “Lee Jung-hoo is three years younger than Kim Ha-sung, but he has never played in the MLB and is expected to be less valuable in defense and baserunning. If Kim Ha-sung is sluggish in his attack in 2024, his stock price will fall, but his stock price is relatively high due to his infield versatility and other ways of contributing.”