“Who knows. The Padres are wild.”
Dennis Lin,먹튀검증 who is in charge of the San Diego Padres at The Athletic in the US, made a rather unconventional, but realistic enough prospect. On the 11th (hereinafter Korean time), through a Q&A article with fans, we talked about the trade possibility of Kim Ha-seong and Ohtani Shohei (LA Angels), and Juan Soto’s move.
First of all, it turned out that fans felt that Kim Ha-sung’s weak attack power, especially his fastball response, was weak. After returning Jake Cronenworth to second base and Ha-seong Kim as a utility agent, there was a question asking if there were plans to recruit a slugger at first base.
Dennis Lin said, “Ha-sung Kim’s ongoing struggle with his fastball in the major leagues makes this question at least worth considering.” According to Baseball Savant, Ha-seong Kim’s fastball batting average this season is 0.143, and his slugging percentage is 0.179. His fastball batting average and slugging percentage (0.264, 0.391) declined significantly last year.
Ahead of this season, Kim Ha-seong and Lee Jung-hoo (Kiwoom) installed a mechanic that quickly brings his arm holding the bat down a little more to the hitting point. However, in April he suffered a severe slump. He came back in May with a batting average of 0.304, but in 34 games this season, he has a batting average of 0.229, 3 homers, 10 RBIs, 11 runs, and an OPS of 0.686.
Dennis Lin said, “In a situation where extreme shifts were prohibited in defense, Ha-seong Kim and Cronenworth played a very valuable role on the right side of the infield. Ha-seong Kim ranks first in all defensive run saves in the Major Leagues. The best option on this roster is to keep Ha-Sung Kim as the starter.”
On the other hand, Dennis Lin said, “It would be much more valuable for Ha-seong Kim to play as a shortstop. San Diego could seek a transfer if possible before next season.” Of course, given the opening match between San Diego and LA Dodgers in Gocheok scheduled for March next year, there was also a nuance that Kim Ha-seong would not be easily traded. Anyway, Lin said, “Ha-seong Kim has to continue to adjust at bat.”
In addition, questions about the possibility of Ohtani’s recruitment in the 2023-2024 free agent market and Soto’s move to the 2024-2025 free agent market were also clearly answered. “Soto’s chances of a long-term contract in San Diego are a bit off,” Lin said. He will have a chance to get another offer of $440 million (turn down a 14-year contract from the Washington Nationals in 2022 and trade to San Diego).”
Soto has recently rebounded, but overall disappointing after the 2022 season transfer. It is expected that San Diego will send Soto to the 2024-2025 free agent market without offering an extension contract. He predicted that he would not guarantee even $350 million right away.
This part can be connected to the Ohtani issue. This is because San Diego can use that budget to go all-in on recruiting Ohtani if he gives up his contract extension with Soto. Lin basically saw the Ohtani acquisition match as a two-game match between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if the two teams called for more than $550 million in total.
“San Diego will be involved, too,” Lin said. If you feel even slightly uncomfortable about a long-term contract with Soto, you are doubly motivated. But San Diego has more financial promise for the future than any other team. Ultimately, I don’t think he will win the match against Ohtani.” This too is realistic.
Nor did he see San Diego as having no chance of winning the Ohtani scout. There is no law saying that when the will of owner Peter Seidler and the reckless recruitment battle unique to ‘Mad Men’ general manager AJ Preller are combined, it should not be a surprise winner. Lin said, “I don’t rule out anything. In any case, it may be pushed aggressively. Who knows. The Padres are wild.” In fact, San Diego has had at least one major contract in the offseason in recent years.