Padres Free Agent Predicted to Betray SD, Sign With Major NL Rival

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jan 2, 2025

Jun 24, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (7) is congratulated by designated hitter Donovan Solano (39) and left fielder Jurickson Profar (10) after scoring a run against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The Major League Baseball offseason is almost halfway over and spring training will be here soon enough.

With that in mind, baseball insider R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports took time to re-rank free agents with an analysis of each.

Moving from No. 14 to No. 6 is San Diego Padres free agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim. Anderson also predicts that Kim will leave the Padres for the National League East powerhouse Atlanta Braves.

"Kim's free agency is complicated by the season-ending shoulder surgery he underwent late in the summer that will sideline him for most, if not all of the first half," Anderson wrote. "There are only so many teams willing to invest in a player who they know won't be available to them for much of the upcoming year. This is total guesswork, but the Braves make sense on a few levels, including upgrading over Orlando Arcia for the stretch run."

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Just Baseball's Ryan Finkelstein also predicted that the Braves would sign Kim but with more specifics, predicting the two sides would agree to a five-year, $60 million deal.

"One team that could use a shortstop however is the Atlanta Braves, although the price tag may be too much for them to stomach when Orlando Arcia is making just $2 million per season. Arcia gives them a good glove at short like Kim, but he’s nowhere near the same level hitter," wrote Finkelstein. "The reality is, any team can find a home for a player as versatile as Ha-Seong Kim."

Kim has generated a lot of buzz this offseason but his shoulder injury has been a hang-up. The infielder will have to miss a little bit of time at the beginning of the upcoming season which could prevent a few teams from making him an offer.

The recovery process is expected to keep him sidelined until late April or early May.

Kim, who earned a Gold Glove and received five down-ballot MVP votes in 2023, posted 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, 22 stolen bases, and a .700 OPS in 121 games during the 2024 season. His year was cut short in mid-August due to a labrum tear in his right shoulder, for which he underwent surgery in early October.

Kim declined his half of an $8 million mutual option, making him a free agent.

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