1:30 pm: Kim’s contract is “at least” four years guaranteed, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Sherman indicated this morning, that the deal would probably come to an end in six years, but could come with an annual salary of $ 7 to 8 million.
1:05 pm: The Fathers reached an agreement to sign a free field player Ha-Seong Kim, reports Dennis Lin of The Athletic (Twitter link) San Diego was reported as the favorite this morning. Kim is represented by ISE Baseball.
Kim, 25, became available to MLB clubs earlier this month when his KBO team, the Kiwoom Heroes, posted it for bidding. The Fathers will be required to pay a release fee in addition to the contract that will be paid directly to the Heroes. This fee will be equal to 20 percent of the first $ 25 million of the contract, 17.5 percent of the next $ 25 million, and 15 percent of any subsequent expenditure.
Kim debuted as a teenager at KBO, allowing him to pressure his team to put him at a much earlier age than most stars in South Korea and Japan. Because of his youth and excellent track record, Kim was among the most desirable free agents on the market this winter, falling seventh on the MLBTR top 50 list in November.
Throughout his career to date, Kim has been an above-average player in Korea, but his game soared to new heights in 2019, even when KBO changed the composition of his ball to reduce the favorable environment for league hitter. Since 2019, Kim has had hits of 0.307 / 0.393 / 0.500, with 49 home runs, 62 doubles, three trebles and 56 of 62 in attempts at stolen bases. He’s been 42 percent better than a league average hitter over the past two seasons, as far as wRC +. In May, Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser wrote that hiring Kim would be like signing a prospectus for the top 100. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen expressed similar feelings, calling Kim a regular potential in second base, shortstop or third base in the MLB.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the San Diego plan is to play Kim on second base and reach the runner-up of the Rookie of the Year in 2020 Jake Cronenworth to the left field. Of course, at this point it is not wise to make any assumptions about how the list of Fathers will take shape. General manager AJ Preller has agreed to acquire Blake Snell Lightning last night and is simultaneously “deep” in conversations to acquire Yu Darvish and maybe some engaging help – too Willson Contreras or Victor Caratini – the Cubs. Until we know that the players returned to Chicago in that potential exchange, it is difficult to assess exactly how things will look.
At this point, however, Kim should be expected to be used almost on a day-to-day basis – either as second baseman or as a superuser player often used. Kim is an above average defender on the shortstop, by Longenhagen, who cites the “expansive” side reach and a plus-plus launch arm as the main factors working in his favor. Generally speaking, most players capable of playing a strong shortstop are well equipped to provide good defense on second or third base, so Kim has the potential to impact the Friars on both sides of the ball.
It is estimated that there will be a period of adjustment on the board, given the gap between KBO pitching and MLB pitching, but Kim had a hit of just 10.9 percent in 2020. Even with the inevitable regression as he gets used to the best speed, – the skills with the ball should give him a chance to defend himself outside the gate.
Whether it be Darvish or someone else, other measures must be followed, now that agreements to bring Kim and Snell to San Diego are in place. Preller has shown in the past that his additions come in rapid succession, and his activity in the past 24 hours seems to suggest that we are in the midst of another flood of Fathers’ movements.