Kim Ha-sung (29) of the San Diego Padres is preparing for the upcoming free agent (FA). He will join hands with the best agent in the Major League Baseball to raise the ransom.
Kevin A.C. of the San Diego Union-Tribune said on the 4th (Korea time), “Kim Ha-sung made an interesting move ahead of the off-season,” adding, “Kim Ha-sung signed Boras Corporation as a new agent.”
Kim Ha-sung is likely to be in the market at the end of this season. Having signed a four-year, $28 million contract with the San Diego Padres ahead of the 2021 season, he will remain with the team for another season when he executes the $8 million mutual option in 2025. However, in the U.S., the possibility of invoking the option is very low.
The achievements are attributable to Kim Ha-sung’s performances over the past four years. During the four seasons of the Major League, he played in 540 games, posting a batting average of 0.242 (418 hits in 1,725 at-bats), 47 homers, 200 RBIs, 229 runs and 78 steals (17 failed) OPS of 0.706. He may be ordinary, but he has wRC+ (adjusted scoring ability) of 106 in the three years he played as the main player. Considering that his league average is 100, he is about 6 percent better than ordinary players.
In particular, in the 2023 season, he mostly played second base, posting a batting average of 0.260 with 17 homers, 60 RBIs and 38 steals, with an OPS of 0.749. He was the first Korean to hit 30 steals, and nearly achieved 20-20 as well. He also excelled in defense and won the Gold Glove in the National League Utility category. It was the first time for an Asian infielder to do so. Although he was somewhat sluggish this year, he showed excellent figures with a walk rate of 12.3 percent and a strikeout rate of 16.44 percent per at-bat.
Kim Ha-sung’s partnership with Scott Boras, dubbed the “devil’s agent,” signals a big contract. In fact, Boras has been serving as agents for several Korean players, including Park Chan-ho (five-year, $65 million), Choo Shin-soo (seven-year, $130 million), Ryu Hyun-jin (four-year, $80 million), and Lee Jung-hoo (six-year, $113 million).
Currently, Kim Ha-sung is set to undergo shoulder surgery. He felt pain in his right shoulder while returning to the check ball against Colorado on Aug. 19. He was diagnosed with shoulder inflammation and was listed on the injured list for the first time after the test. He tried to return from time to time, but ended up undergoing surgery.
With the FA set to take place, injuries can be fatal. However, Boras is currently opting to do so again. Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, and Carlos Correa signed a single-year contract when the market was in a bad condition. Chapman and Correa have already signed multi-year contracts, and Snell is also likely to sign a big contract after this season. 토토사이트
If Kim Ha-sung also shows a good performance after recovering from his injury next season, he may hold a large amount of money in the next FA. Boras can also use such a strategy. The dream of 100 million dollars (about 132 billion won), which had been fading due to sluggishness and injuries this season, is reviving.
