'Kim Ha-sung is not a comparison target' SF's natural choice, recruiting Adames, the biggest FA shortstop

Dec 08, 2024

CBS Sports Article Capture

The San Francisco Giants in the Major League Baseball made the choice that best fits the market principle. The recruitment of Kim Ha-sung, who was 'rehabilitating' from the beginning, was not a priority for San Francisco. It was just a scenario that reflected the wishes of Korean fans who dreamed of reuniting with Lee Jung-hoo.

MLB.COM, the official website of Major League Baseball, and ESPN, a sports media outlet, all reported on the 8th (Korea time) that `San Francisco has agreed to a seven-year, $182 million (about 259.2 billion won) with FA shortstop Willy Adames (29).' This contract will be finalized unless a medical test finds any special abnormalities.

San Francisco now has the shortstop slot it wanted so badly in the Stove League as a strong player

I'm going to fill it with something. To this end, he did not hesitate to make bold bets. The $182 million San Francisco bet is the highest FA contract in the club's history.

Coincidentally, the previous record was held by Buster Posey, who led the recruitment of Adames as the head of San Francisco's baseball operations division. The $167 million that Posey, the current head of the operating division of the San Francisco franchise, received in 2013 while he was active was the highest ever. Posey was willing to break his record and gave Adames the highest amount ever.

This is because the recruitment of shortstop was so desperate. It was the biggest challenge in the Stove League. It can be said that San Francisco spent the 2024 season without its main shortstop. Brandon Crawford, who was the team's built-in shortstop at the end of the 2023 season, failed to grow a new figure after leaving the team. Prospect Marco Luciano showed weakness in defense early on in exhibition games.

In 2018 and 2019, veteran Nick Ahmed, who received the NL shortstop Gold Glove for two consecutive years, was recruited and put in as the starting shortstop for the opening game, but the aging has already progressed to the point where his past reputation could not be found. Eventually, Ahmed was released in late July. Rookie Tyler Fitzgerald showed some potential, but the stability of the defense itself was not very good.

Therefore, San Francisco had to bring in a certain key shortstop by recruiting an FA. It was urgent to bring in a player who would have a clear value in defense and offense even if he spent money. In a way, it is a natural step to choose Adames, who is considered the biggest fish in FA shortstop.

Adames made his big league debut with Tampa Bay in the American League in 2018 and moved to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League at the beginning of the 2021 season. His defense was outstanding from the beginning, but he has improved since his transfer to Milwaukee, especially in terms of batting power.

During his time at Tampa Bay in the AL, he had only 43 home runs in 332 games, and played in 548 games in Milwaukee for four seasons, recording 107 home runs and 348 RBIs, hitting a career-high .248 with 150 home runs, 472 RBIs, and OPS (on-base plus slugging) 7606.

In the 2024 season, he also appeared in 161 games, achieving a career high in offense with 32 home runs (8th) and 112 RBIs (2nd), and then came out as an FA.

Adames, who became an FA, was evaluated as the `best hit product.' This is because he is a utility player with strong long balls and the league's best defense capabilities. Not only shortstop but also second and third base defense is possible. Therefore, it received great attention not only from San Francisco but also from other clubs. The New York Yankees also planned to completely reorganize the team's infield by recruiting Adames with a 'Plan B' if Juan Soto was missed. It is a plan that was established because he highly appreciated Adames' impact.

As a result, San Francisco's signing of Adames was an inevitable option. Kim Ha-sung cannot outperform Adames on the list of candidates to be recruited. The gap across the airlift stat cannot be denied, but above all, the problem of 'health' cannot be considered.

Kim Ha-sung had shoulder surgery at the end of the 2024 season. Rehabilitation should be carried out at least by May next year. It is difficult to guarantee that he will be able to fully recover his physical condition and skills before the injury. San Francisco, which needs a key shortstop that can be used right away, has no reason to recruit Kim Ha-sung, who has uncertainty about injury and recovery.

In other words, to be honest, it can be seen that Kim Ha-sung has no advantage other than that the ransom is cheaper than Adames.

Until now, San Francisco's interest in Kim Ha-sung has been nothing more than a reference to the general level, or 'the possibility of doing so'. It is reasonable to think that it is a second or third option that is considered only if there was no realistic feasibility in the first place or if Adames failed to recruit him.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.