MLB Insider Links Seattle Mariners to Interesting, But Injured Free Agent
After missing out on Korean infielder Hye-seong Kim earlier this offseason, could the Seattle Mariners make a run at another Korean infielder?
While there's no official reporting behind it, MLB Network Insider Jon Morosi speculates that the M's could be a fit for Ha-seong Kim (no relation), as he works back from a shoulder surgery.
He made the comments on MLB Network on Wednesday:
On the surface, this makes a lot of sense. First, Kim is a very solid player and the Mariners, plainly, need more of those. He's a lifetime .242 hitter with 47 career home runs and 78 stolen bases. His best year was 2023 when he hit .260 with 17 homers, 60 RBI and 38 steals. For a team that lacks the ability to put the ball in play consistently, he does that. And for a team that likes to run, he does that too.
Furthermore, Kim is a very versatile defender. He is capable of playing either second base or shortstop and won a Gold Glove Award at second base in 2023 with the San Diego Padres. The Mariners have obvious needs in the infield, and they've only barely addressed them with the signing of Donovan Solano earlier this week.
Given the fact that he's injured and likely to miss time in 2025 (more on that momentarily), Kim will also be affordable, which is apparently of utmost concern to the Mariners. The M's have about $12-16 million left to spend this offseason, and will be able to fit Kim into that.
However, on the flip side, it may not be a great use of resources to spend that limited capital on a player who won't be healthy until May at the earliest - and it sounds like it could be longer.
Furthermore, once the M's get into the season and have a flow going, do they want to disrupt that by inserting Kim into the lineup?
Those are all questions to be answered through the rest of the offseason.
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