Kim Hye-sung, 'posting ended D-9', already came to Korea... Why didn't you worry about entering ML despite bad news about 'early returning home'
Kim Hye-sung, 'posting ended D-9', already came to Korea... Why didn't you worry about entering ML despite bad news about 'early returning home'
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Kim Hye-sung (25, Kium Heroes), who left for the U.S. to challenge for the Major League (ML), returned to Korea for now.스포츠토토
Kim Hye-sung, who left for Los Angeles on the 29th of last month, returned to Korea on the 23rd of this month after checking Star News. Due to the military service exemption he received as a gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, he was limited in his overseas stay.
It is bad news for Kim Hye-sung, who has to negotiate last minute. Kim Hye-sung's posting was announced to the KBO League and Major League on the 4th, respectively, and the contract must be completed by 7 a.m. on January 4, 2025 in Korean time. With only nine days left before the deadline for posting, Kim Hye-sung did not worry too much.
Kim Hye-sung's U.S. agency CAA Sports said in a phone call with Star News on the 26th, "We have a team under discussion, but nothing has been decided yet." He added, "It's not something to be done urgently. We still have time, so we are calmly negotiating."
In the U.S., the Seattle Mariners, the Los Angeles Angels, and the San Diego Padres have been mentioned as teams negotiating with Kim. Among them, Seattle has been constantly linked to Kim even before the posting. The U.S. media Sports Illustrated said on Sunday that Seattle has been one of the most interested teams in Kim. "We have a little more than a week left before the deadline to recruit Kim, but I think we are still interested in him."
CAA Sports did not give a definite answer on whether to negotiate with the three teams mentioned, but reaffirmed that it is in talks with multiple teams. As soon as the negotiations are completed, Kim will board a plane back to the U.S. Ko Woo-suk (26), who signed a contract with the San Diego Padres last year, also made a dramatic agreement and flew to the U.S. from the beginning of the new year.
Seattle is the most likely team. Seattle is the only team that is constantly mentioned in major media outlets including MLB.com , the most trusted MLB official website. The reason is that no other team desperately wants to be on second base. While most teams had second base at the back, Seattle had a long absence at second base after Robinson Cano transferred.
MLB.com said, "It's been seven years since the Seattle second baseman posted an OPS of 0.7 or higher. The club may have thought it solved the problem by recruiting Jorge Polanco earlier this year, but he suffered from a left knee injury and recorded a batting average of 0.213 and an OPS of 0.651."
"Seattle has given up on Polanco's $12 million 2025 option and is looking for answers again. The solution could come from abroad. Seattle has been known to be interested in Kim Hye-sung, one of the best hitters in the KBO in recent years," he added.
The size of the contract, which is the biggest concern, depends on whether Kim Hye-sung will be the main player, the backup or the utility. If you look at it as a main player, you will win a contract worth more than $10 million a year, but if it is a backup, it will be difficult to exceed the 4+1 year maximum of $39 million contract that Kim Ha-sung signed with San Diego in 2021.