Kim Hye-sung, 3 teams are in fierce competition.. SI Prospects for Cheap
Dec 26, 2024
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'Sports Illustrated (SI)' is one of the three teams that the Seattle Mariners expressed great interest in Kim Hye-sung on the 26th (Korea time). Seattle, the Los Angeles Angels, and the San Diego Padres are fiercely competing for Kim Hye-sung from the KBO League, according to the report.
Infield utility player Kim Hye-sung applied for Major League posting on the 4th.
KBO officially announced on the 4th that it has requested the MLB Secretariat to post Kim Hye-sung to 30 MLB clubs at the request of the Kiwoom Heroes club.
The negotiable period is 30 days. From 8:00 a.m. on the 5th to 5:00 p.m. on January 3rd next year, Eastern Standard Time in the United States. The time difference from Korea is 14 hours. It is until 7 a.m. on January 4th in Korean time.
SI is only about a week away from the contract deadline. Seattle showed great interest in Kim Hye-sung from the beginning,' he said.
The SI is 'Seattle's first base, second base, and third base are all empty. Kim Hye-sung is a center fielder. His experience will provide a solid defense at second base. In addition, the batting line expected to provide consistent guessing ability in the lower batting order.
Then 'Kim Hye-sung's ransom will be cheap. Kim Hye-sung may be suitable for Seattle's situation where he wants $15 million to $20 million. Kim Hye-sung predicted that he will sign a three-year, $24 million contract.
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MLB.com posted a batting average of .304 on-base percentage in eight seasons with the Kiwoom Heroes. He has more than 20 stolen bases in the last seven seasons. In 2021, it hit 46 steals. Left-handed batter Kim Hye-sung posted a batting average of 0.326 on-base percentage of 0.383 slugging percentage with 11 home runs and 30 steals this season.
He also emphasized Kim's defense capability. MLB.com praised Kim Hye-sung as a centerline defender strong enough to win the Golden Glove 2nd baseman in 2022 and 2023 and the Golden Glove at shortstop in 2021.
MLB.com listed the Seattle Mariners as a likely destination.
MLB.com is one of the teams the Mariners are interested in Kim Ha-sung, according to MLB Network John Morosi. MLB insider Mark Paynesand also said Kim Hye-sung is suitable for the Mariners.
MLB.com reported that Seattle's second baseman hit .209 in 2024 and OPS (on-base plus slugging) 0.658 with a strikeout rate of 27.1%. Kim Hye-sung compared his strikeout rate to 16.3% in 3,819 at-bats in the KBO.
dhhan@sportschosun.com
