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| FA Kim Ha-sung's expected clubs include the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves. AP Yonhap News |
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| Kim Ha-sung is in high demand because he can see shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman. AP Yonhap News |
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Local media's analysis that FA Kim Ha-sung's demand base is still thick draws attention.
On the 24th (Korea time), Blitzer Report placed Kim Ha-sung in sixth place in a corner titled `supreme landing spots' for Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, and top FA to settle, singling out the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants as the most likely teams and then singling out the Atlanta Braves as the team of 'Unexpected'.
All three clubs have been frequently connected to Kim Ha-sung since the beginning of the FA market. In particular, San Francisco has been argued that Kim Ha-sung should be brought in as the main second baseman even after recruiting Willy Adames, the biggest FA shortstop, for seven years and $182 million.
Reporter Kerry Miller, who wrote the article, said, `Kim Ha-sung, who had shoulder surgery, cannot play in the opening game of this season, but expectations remain that he will return long before the All-Star break.' Therefore, the team that recruits Kim Ha-sung should prepare well for an alternative to take on the second baseman or shortstop for the first month of the season. Therefore, Kim Ha-sung's market has become more complex.
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| FA 김하성. AP Yonhap News |
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Kim Ha-sung underwent a suture surgery on his right shoulder on October 11 last year and is undergoing rehabilitation. Kim Ha-sung, who recently announced that he has started batting training, cannot play in the opening game for now. MLB.com said Kim Ha-sung's expected return is in May.
Reporter Miller explained the reason for going to Seattle, saying, `However, since the backup alternative basically corresponds to the entire Seattle infield, it is reasonable to sign a contract with a plan that Kim Ha-sung takes the most problematic position.' At this point, Seattle's infield could be grouped into first baseman Luke Reilly, second baseman Donovan Solano, third baseman Dylan Moore and shortstop JP Crawford. However, since the backup base of all four positions is sloppy and unclear, it means that it is reasonable to bring in Kim Ha-sung, who can see all three positions except the first base, and use him as the main player from May.
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| San Francisco Giants second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald. AP Yonhap News |
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The reporter then said of San Francisco 'The Giants were widely rumored to be Kim Ha-sung's leading destination. The club advised that Tyler Fitzgerald can be carried to second base, but if Kim Ha-sung goes, the second baseman and designated hitter plans can be solved more completely. San Francisco's biggest weakness is second baseman, which means that if Kim Ha-sung is used as second baseman, Fitzgerald can be used in more diverse ways as a backup.
Regarding Atlanta as an unexpected club, Miller explained that "Given Orlando Arcia's weak productivity over the past three years and Azi Albis' recent injury history, bringing a useful infielder (Kim Ha-sung) at a price that has fallen significantly due to shoulder surgery is something Atlanta can aggressively pursue."
Atlanta is disappointed with the existing shortstop Arcia. This is because he did not meet expectations in offense rather than defense last season. Kim Ha-sung was considered to be more valuable in attack than Arcia.
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| Atlanta Braves Orlando Arcia. AP Yonhap News |
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The reporter then predicted, "'Atlanta, which actually has to play the opening game without Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr., can ask the Texas Rangers in 2024 how anxious it is to spend the first half of the year waiting for players who know they are already not healthy before the offseason.'But if it reaches the point of maximizing power by signing Kim Ha-sung, put him in shortstop and use Arcia and Jared Kelnick as left field platoon, it could be the NL East-winning formula.'"
Spencer and Acuña, Atlanta's pitching core, are expected to return after May, just like Kim Ha-sung, who stressed the need to increase the structure of the offense and defense by using Kim Ha-sung as the main shortstop.
Meanwhile, Miller said Alonso is likely to go to the New York Mets or San Francisco, but it would be a surprise if Seattle signed him. As for Bregman, he is most likely to sign with the Detroit Tigers or Boston Red Sox, and surprisingly, he believes he can go to the Oakland Athletics.
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| Kim Ha-sung suffered a shoulder injury and underwent surgery in August last year. AP Yonhap News |
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
