The San Francisco Giants, who spent over $241 million to acquire elite players like Blake Snell, Jorge Soler, and Jung Hoo Lee, have become one of the biggest spenders in Major League Baseball this offseason.
However, Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Reporter predicted that the Giants are also a potential fit for a midseason trade to acquire 2023 Gold Glove utilityman Ha-Seong Kim, who is in the final season of a four-year, $28 million deal with the San Diego Padres. This is because the Giants are looking to make a playoff run in the very competitive NL West.
Rymer stated, “The Padres only have a 36.9 percent chance of making the playoffs.” “Considering how good the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants are as well, they might just as well finish fourth in the NL West instead of second, let alone first.”
The Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and Giants are all possible destinations for Kim, Rymer continued, but with their present roster, the Giants may be the most alluring offer.
The San Francisco Giants Would See An Improvement at Shortstop With Ha-Seong Kim
The Giants appear to be in a “win-now” mode based on their offseason spending, which is evidenced by the opt-out-focused deal for Snell. Kim would be a clear upgrade for them at shortstop. In the early going, 11-year veteran Nick Ahmed (career slash line:.234/.288/.376) has started five games there. In contrast, Kim has spent four big league seasons with a slash line of.245/.325/.383 across his career.
Rymer continued, “Kim would stand to be one of the top targets on the trade market at multiple levels despite his proximity to free agency.” “He’s a Gold Glove-winning defender who is on the rise offensively after leading the league in 2023 with a.749 OPS, 17 home runs, and 38 steals.”
Thairo Estrada has started the first six games at second base for the Giants; Kim would be a good match there as well. Estrada has averaged.260/.313/.408 in his six professional seasons at the bat. He is currently having a difficult time starting the 2024 season, with a.174/.167/.304 line thus far.
Ha-Seong Kim Will Probably Be Traded by the San Diego Padres in the Midseason
In order to demonstrate their commitment to contending for a postseason berth in 2024, the Padres did, towards the conclusion of the offseason, acquire Dylan Cease. But given the competitive market for his talents and his present contract status, should that not work out, Kim would be a plausible trade option.
Rymer said, “Of course the Padres could extend Kim.” “But if that doesn’t work out, they can’t count on him to exercise his 2025 option, so if things don’t work out, they’ll have to accept offers.”
It should be mentioned that Lee and Kim were both studs in the South Korean KBO league, and that Kim’s manager with the Padres the previous season was Bob Melvin of the Giants.
Bryan Murphy urged for the McCovey Chronicles, “The connection between Jung Hoo Lee and Bob Melvin makes this such an obvious move, and the unpredictability of baseball practically begs for an active and engaged front office to act now rather than hope and pray that everything breaks as you project a year from now.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24498477/usa_today_20210060.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73261342/2144859871.0.jpg)
