Is There Any Chance Ha-Seong Kim, Padres Pick Up Mutual Option?

Maren Angus-Coombs | Oct 25, 2024

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres starting shortstop Ha-Seong Kim missed the team's postseason run after undergoing season-ending surgery to address a tear in the labrum of his right shoulder.

Kim is set to become a free agent after this season, which means he may have played his final game in a San Diego uniform.

However, the Padres and Kim could agree to a mutual player option.

“That’s kind of the first question after the World Series that we’ve got to weigh,” general manager A.J. Preller said, “ … whether we want to pick it up as a team, and he’ll do the same on his front and then we’ll get more information. After that, we’ll keep gathering information on the injury standpoint, where that leaves him and us.

"But again, Ha-Seong’s very talented player. I think we felt that at the end of the year, not having him here.  It definitely was a blow. And he’s a guy who plays the game with a ton of energy. He’s an intelligent baseball player. He defends the field really well. He can play all different spots, take a walk, he can hit a home run, he can steal a base. That’s the way we evaluate him, and that’s a really talented and valuable player. And again, like, I think, from our standpoint, we’d love to bring him back.

“I think we just got to kind of get into it and see where that leaves us.”

While the Padres would love to have Kim back for an $8 million mutual option, Kim is due a lucrative payday in free agency. Because of that, it's unlikely that he agrees to the deal and will opt for free agency.

Kim and the Padres could agree to a different deal which could be in the best interest of both parties especially if he is going to miss the first several months of the season because of the surgery.

"Obviously, San Diego's a huge part of me, because this is my fourth season with them," Kim said. "Along the four years, we fought to get the World Series trophy every year, made great memories. The team almost feels like family to me now."

Over four seasons with the Padres after signing out of South Korea in 2021, Kim hit .242 with 47 home runs, 78 stolen bases, and 200 RBIs in 540 games. Last season, he won the NL utility Gold Glove Award.