San Francisco Giants Among Two Teams Showing Early Interest in Rival’s Infielder

The San Francisco Giants are looking to address some needs in the infield this offseason.

Apr 7, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (7) throws the ball to second base to record an out against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have a number of needs to address across their roster heading into the offseason.

Arguably the biggest is their infield. The only player locked into a role for 2025 is third baseman Matt Chapman, who signed a lucrative extension in September. Tyler Fitzgerald will likely be in the starting lineup as well, but what position he will be playing is anyone’s guess.

He played a majority of the time at shortstop in 2024 in his breakout rookie campaign, but based on early free agency rumors, he may not be their long-term answer at the position.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Giants are one of the teams who are showing early interest in San Diego Padres free agent Ha-Seong Kim.

His sources have shared that San Francisco is focusing their efforts on signing the talented and versatile infielder. There are a lot of ties to him that would make the Giants a logical landing spot in free agency.

Their manager, Bob Melvin, held the same position with the Padres for two seasons earlier in Kim’s career. The new president of baseball operations, Buster Posey, has come out and said shortstop is a position they will be looking to address.

Such a move would enable San Francisco to move Fitzgerald to second base, filling another one of their needs.

His market will be an interesting one because he is recovering from an injury. His timeline to return to the field has been all over the place, as San Diego president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has said Kim will be sidelined into the summer, with a return sometime between May and July.

His agent, Scott Boras, has said the postseason labrum surgery would sideline him, but a return before the end of April was possible.

A stellar defender, Kim leaves a little something to be desired with the bat, as he doesn’t record much hard contact, but does put the ball in play. His strikeout percentages are well below league average and his walk percentage is above, which is good to see.

He can make an impact on the basepaths as well, recording 22 stolen bases last season and a career-high 38 in 2023.

In addition to the Giants, the Toronto Blue Jays are showing interest as well according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. With them, Kim would likely play second base, as they have Bo Bichette entrenched at shortstop.