Kim Hye-sung received an offer I don't have time, why don't I sign it?He's a second ancestor, but the possibility of staying is
Jan 02, 2025
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Currently, the biggest concern in the baseball world is whether infielder Kim Hye-sung will advance to the U.S. Major League. Kim Hye-sung was posted through the KBO and Major League secretariat on the 5th of last month. Kim Hye-sung has spent the past month negotiating freely with 30 Major League teams. The deadline for posting is 7 a.m. on the 4th (hereinafter Korean time). If the contract is not completed by the deadline, Kim Hye-sung will have to stay in Korea.
According to the U.S. media and baseball officials, Kim Hye-sung was definitely offered by the Major League Baseball team. The San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays reportedly offered Kim Hye-sung a contract. The Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels have not confirmed whether they have put an offer, but the U.S. media mentioned them as the clubs showing great interest in Kim Hye-sung.
Kim Hye-sung, who has already received the offer, only needs to sign the contract, but has not been able to conclude the contract. There are less than two days left before the deadline, but they have not come to a conclusion. It can be said that Major League clubs wanted to sign Kim Hye-sung, but did not offer good conditions.
In order for Kim Hye-sung to settle down in the Major League after an adaptation period, he must win a contract that guarantees at least three years. It is highly likely that a short-term contract of one to two years will make it difficult to get a chance to become a main player in the Major League. A recent example is Ko Woo-seok (27), a former LG Twins closer. Ko Woo-seok signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract with San Diego through the posting system ahead of last season. Although the contract was small, he boldly signed the contract with the weight of his major league challenge, but it is going to a bad end. Ko Woo-seok, who failed to prove his value to survive in the big leagues during the spring camp, was traded to the Miami Marlins after only moving around in the minor leagues. Miami also felt sorry for the season without ever being called up to the Major League.
Kim Ha-sung (30), who is currently in the FA market, was different. Ahead of the 2021 season, he signed a four-year, $28 million contract with San Diego to achieve his dream of entering the U.S. At that time, San Diego's main infielders, such as Manny Machado (33), Fernando Tatis Jr. (26), and Jake Cronenworth (31), were holding on, so Kim Ha-sung seemed to be absent. To make matters worse, Kim Ha-sung was sluggish in his debut season in 2021, when Tatis Jr. left in the second year of 2022 due to injuries and disciplinary action against prohibited drugs. Kim Ha-sung became the main shortstop in 2022, and in 2023, he became the first Asian infielder to win the Gold Glove. Kim Ha-sung also had excellent personal skills, but he was a player who signed a four-year long-term contract, so the club was able to use him from afar.
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If Kim Hye-sung remains in Korea, he is likely to become the second Cho Sang-woo (31, KIA Tigers). Cho Sang-woo has been mentioned as the best sale in trade throughout last season, and in fact, Kiwoom has offered a condition that it must include a rookie first-round pick. Trade fever also cooled as Cho Sang-woo ended the season due to a shoulder injury, but it paid off when KIA acquired Cho Sang-woo in a trade last month. KIA brought Cho Sang-woo to Kiwoom at the risk of giving up the first and fourth round nominations for rookies in 2026 to fill the vacancy of Jang Hyun-sik (30), who transferred to the LG Twins as an FA. Cho Sang-woo is the top bullpen with 88 saves in the KBO.
If Kim Hye-sung is listed for trade, it is expected to have a bigger impact than Cho Sang-woo. Kim Hye-sung is the first player in KBO history to have both shortstop and second baseman Golden Glove and won the Golden Glove for four consecutive years from 2021 to last year. The U.S. media cites Kim Hye-sung's slugging power, which is only 37 home runs in the KBO, as the reason why he was not offered good conditions by major league clubs, but it is not a big problem in Korea. His contact ability with a career batting average of 0.304 (1,043 hits in 3,433 at-bats) and fast feet proved by 211 steals are strong enough.
As she announced her challenge to the Major League, Kim Hye-sung is expected to look at the terms of the contract until the end. The Major League website MLB.com classified Kim Hye-sung as a player with good defensive skills along with Kim Ha-sung on the 1st and expected him to appeal enough in the market.
The San Diego regional magazine 'East Village Times'San Diego already recruited Kim Ha-sung from South Korea before the 2021 season. Kim Ha-sung recently became an FA, and it is unclear which team he will sign. San Diego may still be interested in Kim Ha-sung, but it will cost him dearly. Left-handed hitter Kim Hye-sung played shortstop, second baseman and left fielder for eight years in the KBO League. He is the only player in KBO history to receive both second and shortstop golden gloves. He is evaluated as an above-average infielder in defense and is highly utilized in the infield. Considering that Kim Hye-sung is the same type of batter as Luis Araes (28, San Diego), he is usually a batter who makes in-play hits. Kim Hye-sung received more walks than Araes throughout her career, and a career on-base percentage of 0.364 proves this.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
