San Diego Padres' Kim Ha-sung (29), who finished the season after being diagnosed with surgery on his right shoulder, has effectively said goodbye to his team. Kim Ha-sung will join hands with Scott Boras, the "big hand" in the agent industry, instead of his former agency ISE.토토사이트

The San Diego regional San Diego Union-Tribune said on the 4th (Korea Standard Time), "San Diego shortstop Kim Ha-sung hired Boras as his agent. Kim Ha-sung and San Diego have the option of mutual agreement for the 2025 season, which Kim Ha-sung is expected to reject. It is Kim Ha-sung who has been diagnosed with shoulder surgery, but he is expected to become an FA."

If he does not appear in the FA market, there is no reason to replace an agent. In other words, it is actually an FA declaration, as the local media predicted. When the World Series ends, Kim Ha-sung is expected to be listed on the 2025 FA list announced by the Major League players' union.

It was quite predictable. Before his shoulder injury, Kim Ha-sung's declaration of free agent for this winter was a natural one. He struggled in batting this year, but is evaluated as the best in the big leagues when it comes to defense. He won the Gold Glove Award last year and secured the San Diego infield as the main shortstop this year.

Of course, he has the right to be a free agent. The contract he signed with the San Diego Padres ahead of the 2021 season clearly states that he will be eligible to be a free agent after four seasons. If he does not stay in San Diego by mutual agreement, he will be free.

If you look at the market, there is a positive part. In the upcoming FA market, Kim Ha-sung can become the second most valuable shortstop after Milwaukee Willy Adames. If a team needs to strengthen its infield defense by reinforcing shortstop, it deserves to covet Kim Ha-sung. There is a high probability that a team that wants a Gold Glove infielder who plays not only shortstop but also all infield positions will come out.

However, the timing is regrettable. As he has been diagnosed with shoulder surgery, he has no idea when he will be able to return to the team after surgery. Moreover, he cannot enter the FA market when his value is at its highest. He played in 121 games this year, posting a batting average of 0.233 OPS of 0.700, which was more difficult at bat than in the past two years. Even a player with high value in defense is proportional to the batting index in the average market.

It is hard to guarantee the timing of the contract. At the negotiating table, his condition due to his shoulder injury will inevitably become an issue. In addition, Boras has many customers who should be prioritized over Kim Ha-sung. Juan Soto, Pete Alonzo, Corbin Burns, and Alex Bregman, who are considered the biggest fish in the FA market this winter, are all Boras customers.

The market revolves around the biggest fish. The higher the value, the larger the contract, and the faster the order of negotiation table is. In other words, the Kim Ha-sung contract could be second only to the so-called "Big Four" in Boras.

It was the same in the last offseason. Boras customers Cody Bellinger and Blake Snell were not offered a contract to the desired level, and they had a long-term battle. Snell signed the contract on March 20, just before the opening. Lee Jung-hoo hit the $113 million jackpot in mid-December, but not all Boras customers sign satisfactory contracts. Other than Lee, there was no contract worth 100 million dollars.

The timing of the completion of the Kim Ha-sung contract is also expected to be late. This is even more so considering that the timing of his return is not clear due to injury.