Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres, who became the first Korean player ever to win the Major League (MLB) National League Utility Fielder category Golden Glove, is answering questions from reporters at an official press conference held at Hotel Riviera in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 20th.
Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres), who showed his best performance after entering the big league, was again at the center of trade rumors. This is a result that coincides with the team's situation, which has begun to tighten finances.
The American media outlet The Athletic reported on the 17th (Korean time), “San Diego, which has entered into austerity finances, has selected infielders Kim Ha-seong and Jake Cronenworth (29). It was reported that he was classified as a trade target.
Kim Ha-seong set a career high this year in his third year in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The off-season team recruited Xander Bogaerts, giving him his main position as shortstop, but Ha-seong Kim, who has excellent multiplayer skills, showed a water-tight defense even after moving to second base.
We also made progress in batting. Ha-seong Kim, who has adapted to the fast balls of MLB pitchers, also showed off his slugging ability by hitting 17 home runs. Although his pace dropped in the second half of the season, it was enough to raise expectations for next season.
Thanks to these performances, Kim Ha-seong became the first Asian infielder to win the Gold Glove (Utility Category), which is given to the best defender in the league at the end of the season. received the honor of Although he failed to win the award, he was a finalist for the Silver Slugger (Utility Category), given to the best hitter.
In the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) vote, he received 5 10th place votes and tied for 15th place.
Next season is even more important for Kim Ha-seong, who has raised his value in this way. . That's because he is in the final year of his four-year contract with San Diego. The best scenario is to enjoy the final season and sign a new contract under better conditions.
You can exercise the option to extend for another year by agreement with the club, but Ha-seong Kim has emerged as a top infielder in the big leagues. The likelihood of activating this option is currently low.
Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres, who became the first Korean player ever to win the Major League Baseball (MLB) National League Utility Fielder category, Golden Glove, is posing at an official press conference held at Hotel Riviera in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 20th.
However, what is becoming a hot topic now is not the preparation status for next year's season, but the future. Maybe I should leave San Diego.
Ahead of the 2023 season, San Diego spent $630 million (about 821.5 billion won) on contracts with Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado and $108 million (about 140.8 billion won) on Yu Darvish. invested. It was a 'win now' move to win the World Series.
In addition, San Diego spent a large sum of $50 million (KRW 65.125 billion) last September to solve short-term cash flow problems. They even took out a loan.
However, this year, they only managed to get over .500 with 82 wins and 80 losses (a winning percentage of 0.506), and they did not even advance to the postseason.
Investment San Diego, which was unable to perform well and faced financial problems, began to downsize by sending key players to other teams. It started with the trading of Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, who were high-paid earners, to the New York Yankees.
The Athletic reported, “San Diego plans to lower the total annual salary in 2024 to less than $200 million.” San Diego's total annual salary this year was $256 million. Next year's luxury tax imposition standard is $237 million.
Given that it is difficult to dispose of Machado, Bogaerts, Darvish, etc. who signed large contracts, the next hitters are Ha-seong Kim and Cronenworth. a>
In particular, there are steady reports from local media that Kim Ha-seong, who has achieved good results this year and will become a free agent after next season, should be put up for sale to make a profit.
Kim Ha-seong revealed his true feelings about the trade rumor at a press conference commemorating his Gold Glove award at the end of last month.
At the time, Kim Ha-seong said, “I was very stressed at first, but now I don’t care at all. Doesn't being traded mean that another team needs me? “It doesn’t matter as long as playing time is guaranteed for any team,” he said, but also expressed his affection for his team, saying, “Still, I like San Diego.”
If San Diego does not show much interest in extending Kim Ha-sung’s contract, he will continue to do so. It appears that the trade story will continue.
Meanwhile, Kim Ha-seong's future is attracting the attention of Korean baseball fans in a different way.
San Diego is scheduled to play the regular season opening game against the LA Dodgers in Seoul over two days from March 20th to 21st next year, but if Ha-seong Kim transfers to another team, the visit to Korea will naturally be cancelled. It may also have some impact on box office success. 19가이드03