Seattle Mariners Free Agent Target Hye-Seong Kim Expected to Be Posted After Thanksgiving
The Seattle Mariners are in the market for a second baseman, and luckily a solid and affordable option is set to come to the United States soon.
Per Jeeho Yoo, Korean Baseball Insider, on social media:
Soon-to-be-posted #KBO 2B Hyeseong Kim says the process will begin after U.S. Thanksgiving. He will also travel to the U.S. at that point... So expect some sort of posting-related announcement from his team, Kiwoom Heroes, early next week.
Soon-to-be-posted #KBO 2B Hyeseong Kim says the process will begin after U.S. Thanksgiving. He will also travel to the U.S. at that point... So expect some sort of posting-related announcement from his team, Kiwoom Heroes, early next week.
— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) November 26, 2024
For what it's worth, the Mariners are projected to have around $16 million to spend this offseason, per an educated assumption from Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. MLBTradeRumors recently predicted Kim to get a three-year deal worth $24 million, meaning he'd fall into the affordable $8 million per year category for Seattle.
Just 25 years old, he brings a contact and speed profile that the M's can drastically use. After leading the league in strikeouts in 2024, the M's need to do a better job at simply putting the ball in play. He's also said to be an excellent defender.
Still just 25 (26 in January), he’s coming off a strong season in which he slashed .326/.383/.458 with career-best marks in home runs (11) and strikeout rate (10.9%).
All the team predictions, all the analysis, all the contract projections....
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) November 5, 2024
....it's the MLBTR Top 50 Free Agents listhttps://t.co/6IxZxdWN2X pic.twitter.com/UHSeJ4ZbKz
The Mariners need a second baseman as a result of letting Jorge Polanco go this offseason. They also recently non-tendered Josh Rojas. While they have Ryan Bliss and Dylan Moore as internal options, a signing of Kim would represent a bigger upside.
The M's went 85-77 this past season.
Follow Inside the Mariners on social media
Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE:
