Questionable Report Out of Korea Says Hyeseong Kim Will Sign with Seattle Mariners
According to a report out of Korea, free agent infielder Hyeseong Kim will choose to sign with the Seattle Mariners before his posting window runs out on Friday (2 p.m. PT).
The report comes from the KBO Trade Rumors site, which is admittedly questionable. You should take this report with a grain of salt, but with the deadline looming for Kim to sign, there's certainly a possibility it's real.
Noted Mariners personality @thejagepage did the work on translating the site:
Re: HyeseongKim and the #Mariners, this is two text messages sent to the same outlet who gave the information yesterday.
“Kim Hye-Seong chose Seattle”
“If it is wrong, it will be deleted.
I heard it from an agent friend.
I don't know the amount either”
Deadline tomorrow.
Re: Hyeseong Kim and the #Mariners, this is two text messages sent to the same outlet who gave the information yesterday.
— Jage (@thejagepage) January 2, 2025
“Kim Hye-Seong chose Seattle”
“If it is wrong, it will be deleted.
I heard it from an agent friend.
I don't know the amount either”
Deadline tomorrow. https://t.co/eI1iE358Sp
According to initial reports, the Mariners were one of five times to make an offer to Kim this offseason. They were joined by the Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres.
If Kim really does sign with Seattle, he figures to solidify the team's need at second base. The Mariners declined their $12 million option on Jorge Polanco at the outset of the offseason, leading to the hole. While no financial information is a part of this report, we know that the offers for Kim reportedly weren't that high. If the M's are able to land him, they should have enough money left over to make upgrades at either first or third base, both of which would still be immediate needs.
Kim is known to be a solid defender and a good runner who doesn't strike out much. The Mariners led all of baseball in K's in 2024.
Kim will play all of next season at 26 years old.
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