Seattle Mariners Are One of Five Teams to Make Contract Offer to Hyeseong Kim
The Seattle Mariners are still looking for answers at second base and third base for 2025. And the race to land one possible solution appears to be hitting its home stretch.
According to a recent YouTube video, the Mariners are one of five teams that have a contract offer on the table to land Korean Baseball Organization middle infielder Hyeseong Kim.
The other four teams reported to have offered the multi-time KBO Gold Glover are the Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays.
The report came via a Korean channel on the platform.
According to the video, Seattle does not have the highest offer on the table for Kim. The general range for Kim seems to be a three-year deal worth around $20 million according to the report.
That rumored price range is slightly less than the projected three-year, $24 million deal ($8 million AAV) Kim was expected to sign when he was posted from the KBO.
In eight seasons playing in the KBO, Kim has a career batting average of .304 with 37 home runs, 386 RBIs and 211 steals. He's the only player in KBO history to win a Gold Glove as a second baseman and a shortstop.
😮 as expected, kim hyeseong 🙌🏼pic.twitter.com/rqQnyq0n6N
— dzah (@hesmyloverboi) March 26, 2023
According to a recent quote made by Kim in an article published by Korean site FNN news, his decision to sign might not come down to money.
"I want to go to a team that wants me a lot," Kim said via a translated quote from the article. "I can't go because I want to go, so it's good if it's a team that wants me. It's better to go to a team that can play the game rather than money."
Kim doesn't have the power profile of a lot of other prolific free agents like Pete Alonso or Anthony Santander. There's also the question mark about how his high-contact hit style translates to the majors.
But at the very least, he's an elite defender with speed on the base paths. And if his bat does translate to MLB, he could be a steal for the Mariners if they land him.
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