Kim Hye-sung (26, LA Dodgers), who was considered his successor, found his destination first, and another candidate Kim Ha-sung (30) could transfer to has been erased. Nevertheless, the market seems to be flowing in a positive direction for Kim Ha-sung.토토사이트

MLB Trade Rumors (MLBTR), which mainly deals with transfer-related content, was the first to mention Kim Ha-sung's name while dealing with Seattle's reinforcement of third baseman on the 6th (Korea Standard Time).

Seattle has a huge gap in second baseman position. However, media outlets have evaluated Kim Ha-sung as a candidate to fill the vacancy at third baseman.

The media said, "The 29-year-old Kim Ha-sung is undoubtedly the best FA infielder to fit the Mariners' budget, given that he has recorded 106 wRC+ (adjusted scoring ability) and above-average defense in the infield over the past three seasons."

Seattle recruited Jorge Polanco ahead of last season, but was sluggish with a batting average of 0.213 and OPS of 0.651 and gave up the option of $12 million after the end of the season, but MLBTR said, "Seattle has not been shy about its desire to strengthen its infield composition this winter and has shown interest in upgrading its second baseman," but added, "But their focus is on upgrading the infield corner rather than second base, where options such as Dylan Moore and Ryan Bliss can hold out until top central infield prospect Cole Young makes his MLB debut."

However, given Seattle's poor financial situation, it is unclear whether Kim Ha-sung will be able to be brought in. "MLBTR predicted that Kim Ha-sung will sign a relatively cheap one-year, $12 million contract ahead of the 2025 season at the start of the offseason," he said. "But as the market develops, some reports have suggested that he could sign a multi-year contract this winter, and there is a possibility that it will exceed Seattle's budget depending on how the bidding proceeds."

Kim Ha-sung was the main shortstop of the San Diego Padres last year, but he won the Gold Glove in the National League utility category in 2023 by playing not only second baseman but also shortstop and third baseman. It was the first honor for an Asian infielder.

Although he thought the third baseman could play enough, he questioned how Kim Ha-sung would accept the transformation. "Considering Kim Ha-sung's career as a shortstop and second baseman rather than a third baseman, there is a good chance that he wants to go to a team that can play as a main shortstop in a situation where he is trying to recover his value after shoulder surgery," he said. "Kim Ha-sung can upgrade his defense than J.P. Crawford, but Seattle has not shown any intention to move Crawford from shortstop so far."

Although he has expectations for Young, a promising second baseman, Kim Ha-sung is not short of being a candidate to fill the gap in second base, given that it is uncertain whether he will be able to grow into a major league player and how long it will take.

However, given that there are still competing teams such as the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees, it is true that Kim Ha-sung's probability to Seattle does not seem very high. This is because the more competitive the competition, the higher the price, and Seattle feels burdened in this area.

Citing CBS Sports' R.J. Anderson's remarks, Sports Illustrated (SI) said on the 5th that Atlanta is still likely to be Kim Ha-sung's destination.

Anderson said, "Kim Ha-sung's FA contract has become more complicated by shoulder surgery and he will be absent for most of the first half or throughout the first half. There are not many teams willing to invest in such a player," but added, "This is completely speculative, but Atlanta makes sense in several aspects, including upgrading Orlando Arcia."

He said that the fact that Kim Ha-sung's injury concerns are rather lowering his value could work in Atlanta's favor. In addition, it is relatively less burdensome because Arcia can fill the gap until Kim Ha-sung recovers from injury.