The trade and value of Kim Ha-sung (28, San Diego Padres) are highly valued as well as the value of FA.
“The Athletic,” a U.S. sports media outlet, said on the 5th (Korea time), “San Diego is showing considerable interest in trading Kim Ha-sung. It will become an FA at the end of this season, but it will be expensive to recruit because he was one of the best players in the Padres in 2023,” adding that the trade will not be made at any price.
Another media outlet, “The Score,” also predicted the Major League FA market after the end of the 2024 season. It ranked the top 20 preliminary FA rankings, and Kim Ha-sung was ranked 15th.
Among batters excluding pitchers, the team was ranked eighth and the third highest after Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros, and Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros, who was ranked eighth and second. The team is four notches higher than Willy Adames of the Milwaukee Brewers, who is the only full-time shortstop who is ranked 19th.
“Kim Ha-sung, who has all the public orders, is young.” Preliminary FA 15th place is evaluated
The Score, which classified Kim Ha-sung as an infielder rather than a specific position, said, “There are mutual options in 2025, but Kim Ha-sung will be in the FA market next winter because both sides are unlikely to execute,” adding, “It doesn’t stand out, but it’s an interesting option for infield with solid hitting, excellent base running, and brilliant defense in three infield positions.”
Kim Ha-sung, who debuted in the Major League in 2021, received a full-time opportunity to play the starting shortstop due to Fernando Tatis Jr.’s wrist injury and banned substances in 2022, his second year. He batted .251 (130 hits in 517 at-bats) in 150 games with 11 home runs, 59 RBIs, 51 walks, 100 strikeouts, and 12 steals with a .383 OPS.708 slugging percentage, making him a final candidate for the National League Gold Glove in the shortstop category.
After that, he moved to second base last year, and displayed remarkable performance in the league with .351 slugging percentage of .398 OPS.749, batting average of .26 percent in 152 games (140 hits in 538 at-bats) with 17 homers, 60 RBIs, 84 runs with 75 walks, 124 strikeouts, and 38 steals. Not only at second base but also at third base and shortstop, he increased his value by winning Gold Glove in the NL utility category.
“The fact that he is younger than other FA infielders will also work in Kim’s favor,” The Score expected. Kim Ha-sung, who is 28 years old since his birthday is not yet over, will become an FA in his 20s. Among the 20 players in the rankings, only top outfielder Juan Soto (25, New York Yankees) and 18th runner-up Gleyber Torres (27, Yankees) are younger than Kim Ha-sung.
The possibility of returning to shortstop has also been opened, and the FA will be a big foothold
There is a possibility that Kim Ha-sung will change his position to shortstop again in the upcoming season. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune on the 3rd, San Diego coach Mike Shildt announced the possibility of changing his position with shortstop Xander Bogaerts. “Bogaerts did a good job as a shortstop, and right now he will play there, but we will talk about it,” Shildt said. “Kim Ha-sung, who received the Gold Glove, may play as a shortstop.”
The issue has already been discussed internally with the San Diego club. “I don’t think I have to be a shortstop. I am very realistic and I can’t get any younger,” Bogaerts said after the season ended in October last year. “I don’t want to be on the first base. If I go to the corner, I will be close to the bench. I don’t want to be on the first base too soon.” In the end, he has to be on the second base, but chances are high that he will switch seats with Kim Ha-sung.
After signing an 11-year, 280 million-dollar FA contract with the San Diego Padres in December 2022, Bogaerts fell short of expectations with a batting average of 285 (170 hits in 596 times at bat) with 19 homers and 58 RBIs in 155 games last year. He has improved his performance since September, when he moved away from the battle to rank players. Not only the batting performance but also the defense was disappointing. Among the 20 shortstop players who met the regulation at bat, he ranked 11th (+3), or 11th in OAA (Out of Above Average), and 15th in DRS (Defensive Runs Saved), which was the lowest in the league.
If a position exchange is made with Bogaerts, Kim Ha-sung’s FA value is expected to be even higher. In 2022, Kim Ha-sung showed more defensive performance than average in the league by ranking 9th (+6) in OAA and 7th in DRS (+10). It goes without saying that even the same center infielder has higher value of shortstop than the second baseman. If he maintains his batting productivity to some extent last year, his return to shortstop could serve as a springboard for the FA jackpot 라바카지노주소.
FA competitor Kim Ha-sung is 19th in the rankings… Former teammate Soto is No. 1 overall
Kim Ha-sung’s FA rival is Milwaukee shortstop Adames, who was born in 1995 and is the same age. Adames, who has been playing for Milwaukee since May 2021 through a trade since his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018, has a batting average of 247 (647 hits in 2,617 at-bats) with 118 home runs and 360 RBIs in 619 Major League seasons. He hit a personal-record of 31 home runs in 2022, and last year, he hit a batting average of 217 (120 hits in 553 at-bats) with 24 home runs and 80 RBIs in 149 games with a batting average of 217 (80 hits in 553) with an OPS of .717.
The score’s preliminary FA ranking was 19th, four places lower than Kim Ha-sung. The score said, “There is little possibility that Milwaukee will sign an extension contract with Adames. It is certain that Adames will be the best shortstop in the next FA market,” adding, “He has not been able to reproduce the OPS.886 recorded in his first year of transfer to Milwaukee at bat, and his on-base percentage has fallen, but his slugging power is still strong with 55 home runs over the past two years.”
“Adames has never won the Gold Glove, but he is the best in the position with DRS +17 and OAA +25 which have been blocked by defense since 2022,” he said, adding that it will be a shortstop option worth investing in with a long-term contract.
Meanwhile, The Score’s preliminary FA ranking is No. 1 outfielder Soto (Yankees). He is an old teammate who shared a room with Kim Ha-sung in San Diego for one and a half years until last year. “There is no doubt that Soto will be the best FA next winter,” The Score said. He is a well-rounded hitter who has more walks than strikeouts as he is one of the most versatile hitters. His on-base percentage has never dropped below 40%, and he acquired a World Series title ring, a batting title, and four silver sluggers before turning 26. He is in the midst of his heyday as the charismatic superstar that all teams dream of. It is worth paying a huge ransom.
After Soto, second-place starter Gerrit Cole (Yanks), third-place third baseman Bregman (Houston), fourth-place starter Corbin Burns (Baltimore Orioles), fifth-place starter Max Fried (Atlanta Braves), sixth-place starter Jack Wheeler (Philadelphia Phillies), seventh-place first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (St. Louis Cardinals), eighth-place second baseman Altuve (Houston), ninth-place first baseman Pete Alonso (New York Mets), and 10th-place reliever Kerry Jansen (Boston Red Sox).
Then came Anthony Santander (Baltimore), 12th first baseman Christian Walker (Arizona Diamondbacks), 13th starting pitcher Shane Bieber (Cvelland Guardians), 14th starting pitcher Justin Verlander (Houston), 15th infielder Kim Ha-sung, 16th catcher Danny Jansen (Toronto Blue Jays), 17th third baseman Eugenio Suarez (Arizona), 18th second baseman Torres (Yanks), 19th shortstop Adames (Milbury), and 20th starting pitcher Max Scherzer (Texas Rangers).
