Kim Ha-seong, Trade Discussions Waning... Long-term Contract with San Diego
The new season will also be used as a key resource, such as entrusting shortstop
The possibility of a trade for Kim Ha-seong (28), the starting infielder for the San Diego Padres of the Major League Baseball (MLB), appears to be decreasing.
On the 6th (Korean time), The Athletic, an American sports media outlet, introduced the atmosphere within the team regarding the Kim Ha-seong trade through an article in the form of answering questions from fans.
The media said, "The San Diego team unconventionally turned over the middle of the infield when a satisfactory trade (with Kim Ha-seong for sale) was not completed. 바카라사이트 추천
If Kim Ha-seong is traded in the future, Sander Boharz can be given the shortstop position again.
“This will cause considerable confusion,” he added.
The Athletic also said, “Considering this background, the possibility of Kim Ha-sung’s contract extension seems greater than it was a few weeks ago.”
Ha-seong Kim, who signed a four-year contract with San Diego in 2021, will qualify as a free agent (FA) after completing this season.
The expected price of Kim Ha-seong, a top infielder with offense, defense, and power, is skyrocketing.
San Diego lacks the ability to catch Ha-seong Kim.
Just a few years ago, they spared no effort in investing heavily in recruiting top players, but recently they have significantly reduced their investment.
Accordingly, San Diego put Kim Ha-seong up for trade last winter.
It was decided that it would be better to use Kim Ha-seong, who would have to be released as a free agent a year later, as a trade card to recruit a promising player.
However, San Diego did not receive a reasonable offer.
When a trade did not work out, San Diego changed direction.
Preparations for the new season began, with Kim Ha-seong entrusted with the central role.
The club changed Kim Ha-seong, who boasted top-class defense, from second baseman to shortstop, and shortstop Bohartz to second baseman.
Ha-seong Kim appears to have pushed Boharz aside with his defensive power.
Boharz, who has relatively weak defense, is focusing on training to adapt to second base defense in this spring camp.
The Athletic believed that it would be difficult to change the difficult position change between shortstop and second baseman in just a few weeks.
This is why it is interpreted that the possibility of Kim Ha-seong’s contract extension has increased relatively.
This media also explained the non-contract between San Diego and Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles).
San Diego, which needed a starting pitcher, offered free agent Ryu Hyun-jin to join last winter, but Ryu Hyun-jin declined the offer and signed a contract with Hanwha for 8 years and a total of 17 billion won.
The Athletic reported, “Ryu Hyun-jin and his agent Scott Boras were hoping for a large guaranteed amount, but San Diego was unable to bet heavily on Ryu Hyun-jin, who is in his late 30s and has had two elbow ligament joint surgeries.”
In addition, he added, “The fact that Ryu Hyun-jin agreed to a contract with Hanwha worth an average of $1.6 million per year means that San Diego has strong trust in existing starting pitchers and starting candidates.”
This means that the San Diego team also did not offer a high level of money for Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned to the KBO League at a 'low price' by MLB standards.
However, The Athletic’s interpretation is not 100% correct.
Ryu Hyun-jin's eight-year contract is a way to extend the payment period to solve the problem of exceeding the salary cap (total annual salary cap).
This is also the reason why Ryu Hyun-jin declared free agency during his contract period and opted out of the existing contract.
According to KBO Regulations, players returning from overseas must complete four years to become free agents.
In the end, it should be interpreted that Ryu Hyun-jin actually signed a four-year contract worth 17 billion won.
In this case, Ryu Hyun-jin's average annual salary is about 4.25 billion won, or 3.18 million U.S. dollars.