Will it be a reality to see Kim Ha-sung (29) and Lee Jung-hoo (26) team up together in the Major League Baseball as well? It has been reported that Lee Jung-hoo’s current team, the San Francisco Giants, is focusing on recruiting Kim Ha-sung.
MLB.com , the official website of the Major League, said on the 7th (Korea Standard Time), “Kim Ha-sung, a shortstop who used to be a member of the San Diego Padres, is drawing a lot of attention in the FA market,” adding, “According to sources, San Francisco is focusing on recruiting Kim Ha-sung. Currently, the team that is most interested in the 29-year-old is San Francisco.”
Kim Ha-sung recently turned down the 8 million dollar mutual option in 2025 with the San Diego Padres, and became a free agent. He had a batting average of 0.242 (418 hits in 1725 at-bats), 47 homers, 200 RBIs, 229 runs and 78 steals in 540 games for the past four years at the San Diego Padres, and displayed an on-base percentage of 0.326 OPS of 0.706.
The movement of shortstop, who stood out in above-average defense at all infield positions, was the secret of Kim Ha-sung’s popularity. Kim Ha-sung was recognized for his defensive ability by being one of the three finalists for the Gold Glove Shortstop Division in the National League in 2022. In 2023, he was selected as the three finalists for shortstop and utility division, and his stock price soared as he even won the Gold Glove Award for utility division.
Kim Ha-sung’s history seems to have caught the eye of San Francisco, which needs shortstop. The possibility has grown even more as Buster Posey, the new president of San Francisco’s baseball division, said, “We are considering recruiting a shortstop” at a recent Major League Baseball general meeting in San Antonio.
This year, San Francisco Giants was agonizing a lot at shortstop. He started out as Nick Ahmed (34), a veteran shortstop, but began to give promising players opportunities due to his poor performance. Tyler Fitzgerald, a utility player who can eventually reach the outfield, received the most opportunities with 72 games and 594 innings, but he did not seem to have any sense of stability in defense.
Posey said, “It would be great if we could get a shortstop. Fitzgerald did really well as a shortstop last season, but I think he’s worth it in other positions as well. In the long run, I think it’s more appropriate to play second base.” 토토사이트
This is not the first time that San Francisco has been linked to Kim Ha-sung. Andrew Baggley, a reporter in charge of San Francisco at The Athletic, said last year, “It is difficult to predict now where San Francisco needs the most in a year,” but added, “We expect some supporters to empower Kim Ha-sung in San Francisco.”
In September, the San Francisco Chronicle said, “If you bring FA, you can send Fitzgerald to second base, especially bringing San Diego’s Kim Ha-sung.”
The reason why Kim Ha-sung and San Francisco are constantly connected is that there are many people who have special relationships with him. San Francisco coach Bob Melvin was the head coach who appointed Kim Ha-sung in San Diego until recently. It was also Melvin who used Kim Ha-sung as the starting shortstop in 2022 and gained experience in various positions as well as second baseman in 2023.
Above all, his relationship with Lee Jung-hoo is drawing a lot of attention. MLB.com said, “Kim Ha-sung and Lee Jung-hoo played as teammates in Korea from 2017 to 2020, and also played for the Korean national team in the World Baseball Classic. It was Kim Ha-sung who called first when Lee Jung-hoo signed with San Francisco.”
San Francisco also seems to be increasingly interested in the continued reports. “Kim Ha-sung was one of the most consistent and versatile players in San Diego,” San Francisco’s local media “NBC Sports Bay Area” said. “He is a solid fielder who can play shortstop, third baseman, and second baseman, and he also has the running speed that San Francisco and Posey can covet, recording 38 steals in 2022.”
