"'Age + Gold Glove + Airborne Ability' are similar. What about you, Kim Ha-sung? Will the WBC Keystone duo gain momentum from the 103.3 billion jackpot
Dec 02, 2024
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The prediction that Juan Soto's ransom will exceed $600 million is due to these two principles. The same goes for Kim Ha-sung. Agent Scott Boras explains that market demand is by no means small.
"Kim Ha-sung is receiving a wide range of attention from many clubs," Boras said at a meeting of major league leaders in San Antonio, Texas, on the 7th of last month (Korea time). All teams are well aware of his return to action. It will be very early in the season, if not the opening game of the season. "It is a fact that all club officials know. They've seen those reports, so they're feeling Kim Ha-sung's medical very stable.)"
The market value of Kim Ha-sung, who underwent surgery on his right shoulder, is no different from the previous one, and a significant number of clubs are showing interest.
However, a full-fledged ransom fight has not yet unfolded against Kim Ha-sung. In the FA market, the next-class players will appear for sale only when the contracts of top-class players are completed. The top classes in the infield market are Willy Adames and Alex Bregman. It is unlikely that Kim Ha-sung will sign a contract before them.
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Edman was similar to Kim Ha-sung in many ways. First of all, it's me. Both were born in 1995, and Edman's birthday is about five months earlier.
Edman, who joined after being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2016 draft when he was a junior at Stanford University, made his major league debut in 2019 and quickly took the lead with sharp hitting and stable defense. In 2021, he went to the leadoff and won the second baseman Gold Glove with a batting average of 0.262, 11 homers, 56 RBIs, 91 runs, 30 steals, and an OPS of 0.695.
In attack, Career High hit .265 (153 for 577), 13 homers, 57 RBIs, 95 runs scored, 32 steals, an OPS of .725 and bWAR 6.2 for 2022. However, he was on the decline with a batting average of 0.248, 13 home runs, 47 RBIs, 69 points, 27 steals, and 0.705 OPS in 2023, and this season, he had to face concerns that he might collapse due to overlapping injuries.
However, his fate changed when he was traded to the Dodgers last summer. Edman, who injured his right wrist in the spring training, entered the season on the injured list and wore a Dodgers uniform through a triangular trade on July 30 during his final rehabilitation.
He returned on August 20 and played 37 games in the regular season. While watching the center field, he also played shortstop. It was in the postseason that Edman, who had a batting average of 0237, six home runs, 20 RBIs, 20 deguts, six steals, and an OPS of 0.711, showed his true value. In particular, he was named the series MVP in the NLCS against the New York Mets with a batting average of 0.407, one home run, 11 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.022, and also hit hard with six runs and an OPS of 0.988 each in the World Series against the New York Yankees. The decisive reason for signing the extension contract this time can be attributed to the performance of autumn baseball.
Kim Ha-sung is a shortstop, but he has a strong image of an all-weather infielder who can see both second and third basemen. It is also the utility sector that received the 2023 Gold Glove. It is also similar to Edman that he became the San Diego Padres' main shortstop in 2022 and slowed down this year due to injuries after a career high in 2023.
However, Kim Ha-sung was unlucky at the time of the injury. He injured his shoulder while rushing to first base at Coors Field in August, failing to play in 40 games and the postseason at the end of the season.
However, it is not at the level of a crash. The clubs mentioned in relation to Kim Ha-sung are the original teams San Diego, the San Francisco Giants, and the Atlanta Braves. This is not a grim situation. The contract period is the key, and some media believe that a total of $100 million is possible for a five-year contract like Edman. FanGraphs is predicting a five-year $100 million. However, most media outlets offer opt-outs to the two-year contract.
It is highly likely that Kim Ha-sung's contract will be signed after the Major League Winter Meeting (December 10-13).
jhno@sportschosun.com
