Washington Nationals Linked to Gold Glove Shortstop in MLB Free Agency
The Washington Nationals are entering the offseason the the heels of another 71-win season that saw the team miss the playoffs for the fifth season in a row.
Since the World Series victory in 2019 when the team won 93 games in the regular season, Washington just has not been competitive even in the National League East let alone for anything more significant than the division. In fact, the back-to-back 71-win seasons were the most the team has won in a season since the title year.
Needing serious improvements to the roster in order to become a legitimate contender once again to even make the playoffs, this could be a critical offseason and shift the direction of the team's future either positively or negatively. One name that could be a good fit is San Diego Padres Gold Glove free agent shortstop Ha-Seong Kim. Bennett Lehmann of District On Deck named Kim as someone the Nationals should go after on the heels of him opting out of his deal with San Diego.
"What makes him such a potentially valuable asset to this team is his defensive prowess and versatility," Lehmann wrote. A winner of the Gold Glove award for NL shortstops last season, he is a glove-first player that could be a breath of fresh air up the middle defensively for the Nationals. Kim, who came over from South Korea in 2020, has carved out a very solid MLB career so far in his 4 seasons with the Padres. For his career he has a slash line of .242/.326/.380, good for a .706 OPS to go along with 47 homers and 78 stolen bases."
Kim opted out from his $8 million option with the Padres, signifying that he could be looking for a either substantial pay raise, a long-term commitment, or both. Still at just 29 years old, locking up Kim for a few years isn't the worst idea. Spotrac estimates his potential market value at just under $50 million over four years, a contract that obviously isn't pocket change but is not back-breaking either.
Lehmann also mentioned that bringing in Kim would allow Washington to move CJ Abrams over to second base for the long haul, something that could give the team one of the better middle infields in baseball.
Keep an eye on the Nationals for Kim as the offers start to roll in.
