The possibility of Kim Ha-sung’s trade is also being raised in the Stove League this time. It is already familiar to Kim. When Xander Bogaerts, the top shortstop in the Major League, joined the San Diego Padres last winter, there were predictions that Kim Ha-sung would be traded. “Many people are worried (about my position), but regardless of which team I play, I have to compete all the time. I think I just need to do what I can,” Kim said, vowing to survive the competition within his team. Even after moving to the second base, he showed tremendous performance. 바카라
2023 was the year of Kim Ha-sung. He showed remarkable performance in every game. He made Major League fans happy with his outstanding defense. Kim Ha-sung displayed watertight defense not only by going around second baseman but also shortstop and third baseman. Kim Ha-sung became the winner of the Gold Glove Utility category, which is given to the best defenders in each position. He became the first Korean player and the first Asian infielder to embrace the golden gloves, beating out out outstanding candidates such as Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals.
He is Kim Ha-sung, who has displayed outstanding performance compared to his annual salary. Ahead of the 2021 season, he declared his bid to advance to the Major League through a posting system (closed competitive bidding) and signed a four-plus-one-year contract worth up to 39 million dollars. Although he struggled a bit in his first year, he was also listed as a finalist in the Gold Glove category in the second season of shortstop, and became a vital force for San Diego in his third year as he improved greatly in offense and defense.
Although he has clearly established himself as the starting pitcher of the San Diego Padres, Kim Ha-sung may be forced to move again. It is highly likely that the San Diego Padres, which is seeking to reduce its ransom, will not be able to continue Kim Ha-sung’s move. Kim Ha-sung, who will become a free agent after the end of this season, is expected to be paid more than 100 million U.S. dollars. That is not a small amount for San Diego to afford.
This time, the Pittsburgh Pirates were mentioned as Kim Ha-sung’s destination. U.S. sports media “Fox Sports” recommended players that each club should recruit on the 7th (Korea time), but Kim Ha-sung was recommended for Pittsburgh. “Fox Sports” said, “Pittsburgh doesn’t have much movement in the FA market, but we are looking at trade options,” adding that Pittsburgh is trying to strengthen its roster through trade.
“San Diego is known to be trying to trade Kim Ha-sung. Considering Kim Ha-sung’s production capabilities in defense and offense, it is a very suitable sale for Pittsburgh,” Fox Sports continued, claiming that Pittsburgh needs Kim Ha-sung.
It was Kim Ha-sung who Pittsburgh produced results that it coveted. In the 2023 season, Kim had 17 homers, 60 RBIs, 84 runs scored, and 38 steals, with a batting average of 0.260 (140 hits from 538 times at bat) with an on-base percentage of 0.351 with an on-base percentage of 0.398 with an on-base percentage of 0.749.
“Kim Ha-sung hit 17 home runs last season, the most in a Major League career, and recorded wRC+ 112. Despite this, he was paid just 7 million U.S. dollars. He also recorded +10 DRS and +7 OAA. He got a gold glove,” he said, introducing Kim’s performance.
“If Pittsburgh does not recruit second baseman or reinforce it with a trade, it is expected to select the main shortstop through competition in spring training,” “Fox Sports” said. “Infielder Riover Peguero, who has power but is still inconsistent at the age of 22, has shown tremendous potential.”
San Diego has become a team that cannot spend even 100 million U.S. dollars on Kim Ha-sung. Up until last winter, San Diego used its money as if it were watery spending. It signed an 11-year, 280 million-dollar FA contract with Bogartz, and signed an 11-year, 350 million-dollar FA contract with Manny Machado, 80 million-dollar contract with Jake Cronenworth, and 108 million-dollar contract with Darvish Yu for six years. Fernando Tatis Jr. also signed a 14-year, 340 million-dollar contract and 100 million-dollar contract with Joe Musgrove for five-year, 131.6 billion-dollar contract. He invested huge amounts of money in strengthening his team’s roster, and ranked third in annual pay for Major League teams as of the 2023 season.
However, San Diego faced a severe financial crisis. Its financial crisis was dealt a hard blow when its broadcasting authority went bankrupt. Eventually, the team started to reduce the size of its squad and traded Juan Soto to the New York Yankees. Blake Snell, a winner and ace of the National League Cy Young Award, and Josh Hader, a top-notch closer in the league, have also become free agents, but the team cannot even afford to set up a negotiating table. Things have completely changed in a year. It is highly likely that Kim Ha-sung will not be able to keep it either. While rumors of a Kim Ha-sung trade are constantly being raised, attention is focusing on whether Kim Ha-sung will actually leave the San Diego Padres.