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| photo source=Kim Ha-sung SNS |
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You all saw him swing, right? Don't worry about your shoulders
Kim Ha-sung (30) is struggling to escape the crisis of the stove league 'FA Mia'.
Once a player worth '100 million (about 146 billion won)', it can be seen as an active effort to overcome the situation in which no club is willing to reach out due to the issue of shoulder surgery'. A training video containing a cheerful swing was released on personal SNS. It's also a fan service dimension, but it's technically close to 'marketing dimension'.
Kim Ha-sung introduced a video of batting training on his personal SNS on the 18th (Korea time). He appears to hit the ball on the practice tee at the indoor training ground at bat. Kim Ha-sung accompanied the phrase 'Good start'. First of all, the swing was natural. After the surgery, the shoulder with a question mark turned well.
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| FA 김하성. AP Yonhap News |
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At this point, he unveiled this aspect to appeal his value in the stove league, which is not far away. After the 2024 season, Kim Ha-sung boldly entered the FA market without using the remaining one-year extension option with the San Diego Padres. It gave up its $8 million (about 11.7 billion won) guarantee option. He judged that he could make much more money than this if he signed a multi-year contract as an FA with other teams.
The advice of Scott Boras, who newly joined hands ahead of the stove league, would have had a great influence on this choice. Kim Ha-sung was confident.
However, to date, this choice seems to be 'judgment miss'. This is because he remains an FA contractor at the end of January. The opening of spring camp is less than a month away. Most MLB clubs will enter spring camp in early February. Therefore, the formation of the squad will be completed by the first week of February at the latest. The time allowed for Kim Ha-sung is two to three weeks at the most.
When the stove league was just opening, I didn't expect to receive this much attention. CBS Sports in the U.S. ranked FA before the start of the stove league, where Kim Ha-sung was ranked 14th overall. It was quite a high ranking. Therefore, there have been reports of links with numerous clubs, including the San Francisco Giants, the Detroit Tigers, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Boston Red Sox.
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| FA Kim Ha-sung's return is expected to be in May, not April. AP Yonhap News |
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However, the contract was not made. There was no news that specific negotiations were underway. It's all about being interested or hanging out with the XX team' There was only a degree of speculative reporting. In fact, FA players quickly visited their team after the opening of the stove league, but Kim Ha-sung was an exception.
According to CBS Sports' current status of uncontracted FA, Kim Ha-sung ranks fifth overall. Nine of the 13 players who were ahead of Kim Ha-sung just before the opening of the stove league succeeded in signing. Alex Bregman (third baseman), Jack Flaherty (pitcher), Pete Alonso (first baseman), and Max Scherzer (pitcher) are the only players who have not signed a contract so far in front of Kim Ha-sung.
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| Kim Ha-sung is the 2023 NL Utility Gold Glove winner. Photo = San Diego Padres' official X account |
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There is only one reason why Kim Ha-sung is treated so coldly in the market. This is due to concerns over the aftermath of shoulder surgery. Kim Ha-sung suffered a ruptured right shoulder sputum while sliding while returning to first base in an away game against the Colorado Rockies on August 19 last year. I tried to overcome it with rehabilitation, but I ended up having surgery on my right shoulder on October 11.
It was not a simple operation. It takes six to eight months for normal rehabilitation alone. As a result, it was found impossible to return to the opening point. In this regard, AJ Prelor, general manager of the San Diego Padres, gave a hint early on. Regarding the timing of Kim Ha-sung's return on October 22, 10 days after the operation, he said, `May, June, maybe July next year.' It was an accurate story.
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| Kim Ha-sung's return to May is expected to be visible. Photo = MLB.TV Capture |
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MLB.COM also said on the 16th that it is difficult for FA Kim Ha-sung to prepare in time for the opening game. MLB Network reporter John Paul Morosi also predicted that `Kim Ha-sung's first game of this season is expected to take place in May, not April.' What is certain is that Kim Ha-sung is in a difficult state to play in the beginning of the season.
This prospect is shared by all MLB clubs who were seeking to recruit Kim Ha-sung. He was clearly not able to return at the opening point, and was branded as a player who was not guaranteed to show his old skills again after returning. It is not easy to hand over more than 10 million dollars on a multi-year contract for such a player. From the standpoint of MLB clubs, which are thorough in calculating, Kim Ha-sung's recruitment is similar to 'Buy Lottery'.
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| Sportschosun DB |
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Kim Ha-sung and his agent are also well aware of this market atmosphere. Therefore, he revealed his batting practice to ease any doubts from the clubs. It is not yet known how much this will affect the judgment of MLB clubs. Attention is focusing on whether Kim Ha-sung will be able to escape the crisis of FA Mia.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
