Seattle Mariners Connected to KBO Star as Second Base Questions Persist

The Seattle Mariners have been trying to figure out their second base issues for years, and perhaps this intriguing player from the KBO is the answer they've been looking for.

A detailed view of the Seattle Mariners armed forces day hat in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park in 2023. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Second base is one of the biggest discussion points for the Seattle Mariners early on this offseason, as it has been for several years.

Since trading Robinson Cano after the 2018 season, the M's have had a revolving door at the keystone. They've used Adam Frazier, Kolten Wong, Jose Caballero and Jorge Polanco to little avail.

The team holds a $12 million club option on Polanco this offseason, but all reports have indicated they will decline it after he hit .213 this year. Though it was just revealed that he played through a knee injury that can partially explain his struggles, the team appears more likely to want to save the money and go in a different direction. Polanco is 31 and also struggles defensively.

If the team does decline Polanco's option, they could go with an in-house option like Ryan Bliss or top prospect Cole Young. They could move Josh Rojas to second base and use him in a platoon with Dylan Moore, and they've also been liked to Gleyber Torres, at least loosely.

But there is a new name that M's fans should be aware of, according to MLBTradeRumors:

At least one intriguing option stands out on the market: Kiwoom Heroes infielder Hyesong Kim (no relation to the aforementioned Padres infielder). The KBO star hired CAA to represent him this past June and is expected to be posted for big league clubs. He’s not a high-impact power hitter but is a career .304/.364/.403 hitter in South Korea and is coming off a .331/.390/.452 showing across the past two seasons. Kim is lauded for his defensive acumen at second base, plus speed (55-for-64 in stolen base attempts since 2023) and superlative bat-to-ball skills (11.7% strikeout rate). The lefty-hitting Kim could land an eight-figure guarantee over multiple years this offseason, particularly since he won’t turn 26 until January.

The age is right and the speed is right, as Kim could help the M's force the issue on the bases even more in 2025. Furthermore, the low strikeout rate is something that would be appealing to a clubhouse that led baseball in strikeouts for a large portion of the year.

The Mariners can't do anything official until after the World Series ends.

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