Will Kim Ha-sung (29) and Lee Jung-hoo (26, San Francisco Giants), who have been in the KBO League Kiwoom Heroes for a long time, play in the same uniform on the major league stage.
The Major League’s official website MLB.com mentioned on the 8th (Korea time) that San Francisco may recruit Kim Ha-sung in an article titled “Underrated Infielder, which caused a lot of buzz at the team leader’s meeting.”
The media said, “Can Kim Ha-sung become one of the first players to sign in the FA market? According to sources, Kim Ha-sung has already attracted a lot of interest from the beginning of his appearance in the FA market,” adding, “According to other sources, San Francisco is focusing on recruiting a 29-year-old player (Kim Ha-sung).” The Milwaukee Brewers were also connected to Kim Ha-sung, but San Francisco is the team that is most interested in infielders (Kim Ha-sung).”
Kim Ha-sung and Lee Jung-hoo had a long relationship with Nexen-Kium when they were in the KBO League. In 2017, when Kim Ha-sung was playing as the main shortstop, Lee Jung-hoo joined the team as a rookie, and the two were active as key players of the team. 안전놀이터
At the end of the 2020 season, Kim signed a contract with the San Diego Padres and successfully advanced to the big league stage first. As Lee Jung-hoo joined San Francisco at the end of the 2023 season, the two players met again in the Western Division of the National League. Another link is that Bob Melvin, the new coach for San Francisco ahead of the 2023 season, was the coach who coached Kim Ha-sung in the San Diego Padres.
MLB.com also mentioned the relationship. “Kim Ha-sung has several ties with the Giants. He played with center fielder Lee Jung-hoo in Korea and under coach Melvin in San Diego,” the media said. “Since Kim Ha-sung was not offered a qualifying offer, San Francisco does not have to give up its draft pick to recruit him.”
After spending four seasons with the San Diego Padres, Kim gave up the 8 million-dollar mutual option for the 2025 season and entered the FA market. The San Diego Padres did not offer a qualifying offer to Kim Ha-sung, whose return date for the next season is uncertain due to his shoulder injury. Therefore, the club that wants to recruit Kim Ha-sung has no more burden on the draft compensation pick.
Kim Ha-sung, who had his best season in 2023 with a batting average of 0.260 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, 38 steals, and an OPS of 0.749 in 152 games, had a hard time this year. He took over San Diego’s main shortstop and his batting performance fell to .233 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, 22 steals, and OPS of 0.700 in 121 games, and he was out for the season after injuring his shoulder against the Colorado Rockies on August 19, when his batting condition was slowly rising.
Despite the injury, local media highly rate Kim Ha-sung as the second shortstop in the FA market after Willy Adames, the biggest fish. This is because he has already proven his power to record more than double digits in the league’s top defense once he recovers his health and excellent stolen bases.
San Francisco’s Buster Posey said, “It would be great if we could find a shortstop. I think Filer Fitzgerald did a great job as a shortstop, but I think he’s worth it in many positions. We’re discussing whether it would be better to play second base in the long run.”
MLB.com said, “If Kim Ha-sung, who already has a relationship with San Francisco’s coach and one of his fellow players (Lee Jung-hoo), moves to San Francisco, it will be a very reasonable choice,” mentioning the possibility of Kim Ha-sung’s transfer. Attention is focusing on whether FA Kim Ha-sung, who is paying attention there, will head to San Francisco and share the same team with Lee Jung-hoo again.
