The Rays and infielder Ha-Seong Kim have reportedly agreed to a two-year, $29MM contract which allows him to opt out after the first season. He will make $13MM this year with $2MM worth of incentives also available. The full details of the bonuses haven’t been reported but they are based on plate appearances and start at 325. If he forgoes the opt-out opportunity, he’ll make $16MM in 2026. The club has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move when this becomes official.
Kim’s free agency has been one of the more difficult ones to project on account of his uncertain health status. In August of last year, while with the Padres, he injured his right shoulder while diving back into first base on a pickoff attempt. He underwent surgery late in September to repair the labrum in that shoulder. His agent, Scott Boras, has since suggested that Kim could be back on the field by April. Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller gave a more nebulous and less optimistic answer of “May, June, July.”
Prior to that injury, there was an argument for Kim securing a four- or five-year deal, perhaps approaching nine figures. But the injury to his throwing shoulder made that harder to see. Though he’s a solid hitter, a big part of his appeal as a player is his defense. He has played most of his career at shortstop but also has significant time at second and third base with strong marks at all three spots. If he comes back from surgery with diminished arm strength and is less viable on the left side of the diamond, that would cut into his value.
As such, it seemed likely that he would sign a deal that allowed him to return to free agency next year, either on a one-year deal or a two-year pact with an opt-out. That would give him the chance to potentially return, prove his health and sign another contract with the injury in the rear-view mirror.
At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Kim for a straight one-year pact with a $12MM guarantee, though with the caveat he could follow players like Rhys Hoskins and Michael Conforto in securing a two-year pact with an opt-out. Hoskins got $34MM from the Brewers and Conforto $36MM from the Giants. Both are represented by Boras and Kim switched his representation to that agency in October, shortly after his injury.
The situations aren’t completely analogous. Both Hoskins and Conforto signed their deals after missing an entire season but were set to be healthy as those deals began. Kim, however, seems likely to start the season on the injured list. Kim’s guarantee comes in a bit below those guys, perhaps a reflection of the slightly different timeline.
That makes this an interesting gamble for the Rays. If Kim’s injury lingers towards the longer end of Preller’s timeline, it’s possible that they are going to be paying him $13MM for just half a season. If Kim doesn’t immediately get back in form, he could then forego his opt-out and stick around for 2026 with an even higher salary. For what it’s worth, both Hoskins and Conforto had tepid results in the first years of their respective deals and did not use their opt-outs.
The upside for the Rays is that they could get a really strong player for a relatively modest price. Kim struggled at the plate in 2021, his first season after coming over from Korea, but has been above average in each of the three seasons since then. He stepped to plate 1,678 times over the 2022 to 2024 campaigns, with his 11% walk rate and 17.9% strikeout rate both a few ticks better than average. While not a huge power threat, he got to double-digit homers in each of those campaigns, hitting 39 overall. His combined batting line of .250/.336/.385 led to a wRC+ of 106.
As mentioned, Kim is a strong defender at multiple positions. He also stole 72 bases over the past three years. Putting it all together, FanGraphs has considered him to be roughly a four-win player. He was credited with 3.6 fWAR in 2022 and 4.2 the year after. Last year, the injury limited him to just 121 games, so his fWAR tally came in a bit lighter at 2.6.
The Rays have some question marks at shortstop. Wander Franco was supposed to be the long-term answer there but he hasn’t played since August of 2023, when heinous allegations of sexual abuse against minors emerged. The legal process is still playing out on those charges but it would be surprising if he ever returns to the majors.
Players like Taylor Walls, José Caballero and Osleivis Basabe are on the roster but each of them have posted lackluster offensive numbers in their respective careers thus far. Prospect Carson Williams is probably the new shortstop of the future but he might still need some more time in the minors. He’s still not yet 22 years old, with that birthday coming up in June, and spent all of last year at Double-A. He did get into four Triple-A games late in 2023 but the Rays might want to send him there for a slightly longer stint before giving him his major league debut.
For the Rays, ideally, Kim can return relatively early in the year and play like his old self. Junior Caminero seems likely to take over the third base job this year, with Brandon Lowe and Yandy Díaz the projected regulars on the other side of the infield. That could give them a formidable infield for the majority of the season.
If that plan comes to fruition, Kim would likely opt-out and head back to free agency. He would be leaving $16MM on the table but would be looking for a larger guarantee on a multi-year deal. The Rays could then issue him a qualifying offer, which would probably be around $22MM or so. The QO was $21.05MM this offseason but usually goes up over time due to salaries increasing. The QO number is calculated by averaging out the salaries of the 125 highest-paid players in the league. That could allow the Rays to recoup draft pick compensation and then perhaps hand over the shortstop job to Williams.
There are other less-ideal outcomes on the other end of the spectrum. It’s possible Kim doesn’t return until the second half. Or he returns at some point but his arm strength isn’t quite what it was, making him an imperfect shortstop solution. Or perhaps Williams seizes the job before Kim gets back, leaving him as something of a high-priced utility guy. In those or other imperfect scenarios, the odds of him staying for 2026 would increase. That would naturally be an underwater deal at that point, since he would have walked away otherwise.
That wouldn’t necessarily be the end of the world, depending on the specifics. The Cubs got an okay-but-not-great season out of Cody Bellinger in 2024, then saw him forego an opt-out opportunity. They were still able to dump most of the remainder of the contract on the Yankees. The Brewers, however, are seemingly stuck with Hoskins after his mediocre season. That has perhaps been part of the reason why they don’t have a lot of financial wiggle room this winter.
The Rays are a low-spending club, far more like the Brewers than the Cubs or the Giants. Kim’s $13MM salary will actually make him the highest-paid player on the team. Though they’ve given out some big extensions over the years, this is the third-largest guarantee they’ve given to a free agent, behind the $40MM they gave Zach Eflin and the $30MM they gave Charlie Morton.
It’s unclear exactly what sort of payroll parameters they have for 2025. Cot’s Baseball Contracts had them at $99MM on Opening Day last year. They ended up moving some players making notable salaries at the deadline, such as Eflin, Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes. This offseason, they flipped Jeffrey Springs to the Athletics but then signed Danny Jansen and now Kim.
RosterResource now projects them for a $90MM payroll this year. That’s a bit below 2024 but they also might have extra financial concerns apart from player salaries. Due to the hurricane damage to Tropicana Field, they are going to be playing the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. That’s normally the home of the Tampa Tarpons, the Single-A affiliate of the Yankees. That is presumably leading to some unexpected moving costs and perhaps less ticket revenue for the upcoming season. Their plans for next year and beyond are murky as well.
It’s an interesting gambit for the club to take with its limited resources. For clubs still looking for middle infield help, Alex Bregman is a potential option due to his reported willingness to play second base. Apart from him, Jose Iglesias, Paul DeJong and Brendan Rodgers are some of the notable free agents.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the two-year deal, $29MM guarantee and opt-out. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported the specific annual breakdown and the incentives. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported that the bonuses start at 325 plate appearances.
Didn’t see this one coming. Nice move for the Rays
Wow Another guy for Yankees signing elsewhere. That’s a lot of money for TB. Good for them.
Call STL about Arenado & Romero, trade Stroman there, take on Arenado most-all contract. Screw it…
StL doesn’t want Stroman.
Didn’t they already say no to an offer for Arenado that included Stroman?
Arenado is owed $27, $22 and $15 million over the next three years, even with the Rockies contribution. He’s a league average hitter and fading, as is his once great fielding. He could be Josh Donaldson 2.0 quickly. I’d rather keep Stroman as the 6th starter. The team always need starters, and the Yankees can control his innings so the option doesn’t vest. Plus, the Yankees are trying to shed salary. I don’t see any way they’re taking on Arenado’s deal. If they had discussions previously, it was before the Yankees made other moves.
Cards don’t want or need Stroman!
Nobody wants or needs that pos.
@mlb
Don’t think of it as “another Yankee” target signs elsewhere. The Yanks obviously had some concerns about his health and didn’t want to lay out the money Boras was seeking seeking. Why pay that sum plus 100% lux tax for a player that’s not going to hit the field until possibly June or July and might not perform the way you’d hope?
You’re complaining about the YANKEES regarding signing players/spending money?
Top 3 in payroll the last 13 out of 14 years.
They get just about get ANYONE they want.
So please.
Show some compassion for those of us who are fans of teams that are near or at the bottom of the list EVERY YEAR.
PuttPutt: They can get anyone the Dodgers don’t sign first.
My guess he is traded at the deadline
If he is playing at the deadline
Great deal for the Rays, he is a tremendous player.
I might agree, were it not for the player opt-out. The Rays have no idea what they are getting from him this year coming off his serious shoulder issues (or when he’ll be able to contribute, and at his normal performance level). Were the second year guaranteed, sure, it would be a “great” deal. Otherwise, not so much.
I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to his injury, is it meaningfully different from what Shohei Ohtani went through a couple weeks after Kim’s surgery?
Avory – Three players all had the same labrum shoulder surgery within about a month of each other.
Two of them, Ohtani and Yoshida, are expected back by April according to their teams.
Will be interesting to see the timeline for all three players, as it typically takes 6 months to a year for full recovery.
All I know is that he’s not going to be ready for opening day and might not be ready in June. So what are the Rays getting exactly? It’s a gamble, along the lines of Cleveland’s with Shane Bieber. But everyone knows CLE will desperately need starting pitching help at mid-season should they remain in the playoff race…what desperation are the Rays feeling? Is Kim moving the needle on their playoff hopes sufficiently to take this kind of risk? Not getting a guaranteed second year seems foolish.
Thanks for the information, much appreciated. Will be interesting for sure. I like Kim, I just don’t like paying for so much uncertainty.
Avory – Agreed, seems like a high risk gamble by the Rays. I know they are having a really hard time signing free agents, but I didn’t think they’d go this far to land one.
The difference is for both Ohtani and Yoshida the injury was to their left, non-throwing shoulder whereas with Kim it was his right, throwing arm shoulder. That’s why the longer recovery time for Kim.
Thanks, a very important distinction, indeed.
It was on Kim’s throwing arm.
So, if the position is that it is a serious shoulder injury then I do not think the Rays are getting a great deal.
However, this article chooses to use Hopkins and Conforto as their comparisons of shoulder injuries. Are they close to the same or wildly different? We do not know.
Is the same being said about Ohtani. His surgery was at the 1st of November… 1 month after Kim’s. Is the prognosis that he is not coming back until August?
It is like saying that all knee surgeries are the same. But we know on knees that some do take a year and some come back in 4 weeks.
So, your scenario is missing a huge key piece of the puzzle which of course the initial authors did as well.
Again, not all tears are the same. Not close to the same.
If you know of an orthopedic doctor that could explain it better, that would be great.
Factually, none of us on this site have close to enough background of the extent of any of these players surgeries.
Ken – Excellent point, thank you! I had forgotten Yoshida is one of those players that bats lefty and throws righty … probably because it’s been so long since he’s played the field. LOL
Yeah, the Rays are taking on all the risk here, you’d think the 2nd year would’ve been included.
Fever –
I believe Ohtani had UCL surgery in the elbow again and not labrum surgery. Depending on the type of labrum tear, it can take between 4 months all the way to 12 months to recover. If it was a small tear, they just trim the damaged muscle/tissue away so it doesn’t catch on other muscles and tear more or on a nerve and cause pain. After the trim, the player does PT to strengthen the muscles enough to play again. This is the short timeline.
If it was a big tear, the muscles & tissues have to be sutured together and be allowed to fully heal before throwing. If the muscles ripped off the bone, anchors need to be inserted into the bone to reattach the muscle. This is the “up to 12 months” worst case. I’m sure Tampa’s medical team fully vetted the severity of his injury and determined they should get significant value out of Kim in 2024, otherwise they wouldn’t have signed this deal.
Also, Kim should be able to hit / DH before he’s ready to throw, so even if it takes him until June or July to play in the field, he should still be able to contribute at the plate and on the bases. He’ll need to be very careful when he slides not to land on or jam the repaired shoulder as that could tear it again though.
@ Avory & Fever – I wonder if Tampa is in the same boat as the A’s where they need to spend a certain amount of money this year to avoid a grievance from the owners about spending enough of their revenue sharing on team payroll? That would certainly explain why they would sign such a risky deal.
It’s coming out of your paycheck?
Ohtani was to his glove shoulder. Yoshida’s surgery was to his throwing shoulder.
apnews.com/article/boston-red-sox-yoshida-surgery-…
Dorothy, the UCL surgery was before last season. The most recent surgery is to his shoulder.
mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-left-shoulder-surgery?m…
I thought it sounded like a great move from the title, but agree that the opt out makes it much less appealing. Was thinking if that was all it would take why didn’t some of the heavy hitters grab him up since even utility players can end up making that, but the opt out changes everything.
@Avory
Being a Rays fan is hard. Even if they try to get FAs, players don’t wanna sign there unless it’s to rehab or revitalize their careers. It’s hard to convince actual talented people to take long-term deals in TB, especially with the very prude contracts they offer (there’s no way they wouldn’t accept a NTC on any player). So not getting that second year is a bummer, but in used to it. Rays don’t sign long deals and players don’t wanna play there long term. In Kim’s view this is just a money move to rehab his shoulder so he can opt out and get a better deal elsewhere.
I think the Rays had a hard time swallowing paying Walls a raise in arbitration. It seems like they really weren’t looking for SSs until that happened. For the Rays … Well, the benefit is that they don’t have to see Walls flailing at the plate as much, and they now have a more competitive replacement if they DFA Walls or trade any of their SSs.
Another theory is they may trade Lowe and put Kim at 2nd base, but that won’t happen at least until the trade deadline.
In the end. Yes it’s a lot of money for an injured player. Yes it’s risky. But he makes the team better, there’s no doubt about that. If he returns to form he can fill in the black hole at SS at the plate and that (and Jensen) may be enough to get a WC spot. So yes it’s risky, but understandable. Any team with Taylor Walls on the roster is not seriously gonna make the postseason and succeed.
Actually I was wrong. Yoshida’s surgery was also the right shoulder but given he’s primarily a DH that’s probably why his recovery is moving quicker.
I just love these kinds of snarky comments which refuse to acknowledge that all teams have operating budgets, making this a zero sum game. Any money spent foolishly or otherwise means fewer dollars available for other important aspects of the team. So yeah, in a fan sense, it IS our paycheck…it’s understanding the implications of our favorite team’s spending.
It isn’t difficult to be a Rays fan. Tampa routinely makes the Yankees and Red Sox and Blue Jays look stupid, and that’s a LOT of fun, as far as I can tell. No one in baseball does better with less than the Ray do. I’m a Cleveland fan, so I know what you are up against across the board, but when we win, there’s no cache to it. In the end, all we did was win the AL Central, not beat the big boys in the AL East. Anyone in the baseball industry is a big, big admirer of what the Rays do…Cleveland is respected, but anyone with half a brain is awed by what the Rays accomplish. Rays fans can always hold their head high. I’d love to see what Brian Cashman would accomplish were he running the Rays. The answer? Absolutely bupkis.
It was not Ohtani’s throwing shoulder. The earliest Kim will return is May. The article references Preller say May, June, July as the time when he might be playing in games. He also said he would not be able to start throwing until April. T
The Dodgers have said Ohtani will not be pitching to start the season.
Shoulder surgeries are an order of magnitude worse than knee surgeries. When they are to the throwing shoulder many players never make it back at all.
Dotty – You’re thinking of the elbow surgery Ohtani had in September 2023 while still with the Angels.
The labrum surgery was last November after getting injured in the World Series.
Yes that should be true for all three, being able to hit before they are able to throw.
Dotty – Yeah I thought about that too, could be.
But I still think they were forced to overpay because they are having such a hard time signing free agents. Can’t really blame the players, 81 games in an open air Florida ST park is not a good experience.
I would still prefer them to spend some dumb money at times and take some risks. Yeah the other AL East teams are not as smart as the Rays, but they can also afford to be dumb. The Rays can’t afford to be dumb. Sure it’s fine to watch them be competitive , but, increasingly, talent wins in baseball and Rays can’t afford it. If they actually can, FAs refuse to play there because Rays never view players as long-term assets. Being traded is a likely outcome and most players want to settle down. There’s a reason the Rays have never won the WS and have only appeared in it only twice before. They can’t attract real talent. It’s not only about money, it’s an image and marketing problem.
Avory – Sorry the Braves are a better run team and have gotten the most for their money.
Look at their payroll rankings ……
2023 – 8th
2022 – 8th
2021 – 13th
2020 – 13th
2019 – 21st
2018 – 21st
In that 6-year period they made the NLDS every year, won the division every year, made the NLCS twice, and won the World Series.
Rays haven’t gotten past the ALDS since 2008, not counting the joke of a 2020 season. Since 2010 they’ve won the division only once.
And if the Rays front office is so great, why did Bloom fail miserably? Why can’t Friedman win without having a monster payroll?
The Rays are a decent regular season team, that’s about it.
@Rays in the Bay
This is hogwash. The Rays’ farm system is producing talent and lots of it. Whoever they produce they can control for 6-7 years, which is the prime for most players. You are actually worrying when big markets pay double or triple or more for past performance after that? The reason the Rays have never won a World Series is because the two times they were there, their players didn’t win between the lines. That’s got zero to do with whether or not they were “dumb” enough to spend on free agents. You sound like CLE fans who bemoan that they haven’t won a ring and blame it on “cheap” owners even though the players lost two World Series in extra innings of game 7. Nothing to do with spending or the ability to “attract talent.” You draft intelligently, do a damn good job of international scouting, you develop well, and you make good trades with incompetent teams and you can go to the playoffs often and get lucky once you’re there. Stop complaining…you think the Tampa front office moans and groans? No, they do their jobs. Heck no it’s not easy, but as long as the big markets keep acting idiotically, you’ll have a chance in a sport where good fortune can shine on anyone. I don’t like the disparity in revenues between my team and the big boys, but it’s no excuse to do irrational things like spending “dumb money” and taking unneeded risks just to assuage fans.
I admire the way the Braves operate, but to compare their performance to the Rays on a dollar per win basis is nonsensical. Tampa is #1 in the sport in that realm and it isn’t even remotely close. And please, let’s not get into postseason achievement as a gauge of excellence, shall we? Any self-respecting Braves fan would be embarrassed even bringing that up, much less comparing the largess between the two franchises.
@Avory
Owners are rich no matter what they have us believe, and I don’t see any reason small market owners can’t produce better teams to at least make it fun to watch. Baseball is entertainment after all. Sorry I want talented players on the Rays instead of guys like Taylor Walls and Jose Caballero and Alex Jackson. Do I want them to give out 12 year contracts to Soto or Ohtani? No. But these days, that’s the going rate. And for every dumb rich team, there are smart rich teams.
To counter, the majority of Rays prospects have come outside of their drafts. They’re actually not good at drafting players. Take a look at which players who were drafted by the Rays are still on the team (or still in MLB). They are good at finding some gold in another team’s system, but if the Rays do produce a talented player, they are guaranteed to be traded to restart the cycle. So maybe they get 2-3 good years from good prospects who likely sign elsewhere as soon as they’re FAs. The Rays are always considered a farm team for richer teams for a reason, because most of the time it’s true.
Lots of casual fans will be happy with whatever the Rays do. So that’s good for them.
Well done, Rays!
They must be planning some trades because they are already loaded with infielders.
No.
Another piece gone in the declining brand that is Padres baseball.
Please sell the team to someone who cares.
Padres already have high-priced players at 2B, SS and 3B.
It was reasonable for Padres not to spend money on HSK.
Obviously the Musgrve injury hurts but that does not fall on ownership.
They have Adam who they did not have at the start of last year.
They lost Profar, but at the start of last year few expected a ton out of him.
I do not think Diaz will be as good as Higgy, but that is a minor change.
Seems to me the Padres have a solid team. They might do well to trade Suarez or Arraez for a cheap controllable #4 or #5 type starter, but that is easier said than done.
Look if the Padres trade away Cease and King, I will accept your position that the team team is declining. But that has not happened.
I was really expecting him to wait until he could do a showcase for teams. I wonder if it means he will be out longer than expected for his recovery. If healthy soon, its a good gamble.
Was hoping Posey would sign Kim. Once Kim makes full recovery from offseason surgery he will be a great pickup by the Rays
He didn’t want an injured player.
Nice pickup for the Rays
Wow
Of all the players for the cash-strapped Rays to sign, they sign a guy who will be injured to start the year? Baffling.
Come on, you know this dude is gonna get MVP votes now.
If we (angels) would have signed him, he’d have got addicted to codine and caused an amber alert.
And told everyone how much he dislikes playing baseball.
Visual meme (Blue Jays Fan x (suicidal thoughts) x Angels Fan
You do realize that if he was 100% healthy, the Rays couldn’t afford him?
$29M shot to hell, just like Hoskins and Conforto, Kim is done. Ahahahahaha!
Wow, not even considering that his injury is less severe than either Hoskins or Conforto.
On August 30, 1985, Roger Clemens underwent reconstructive surgery to repair the torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.. He missed no starts in 1986 and won the Cy Young.
He had a pretty good decade and a half after that too.. haha
Those Vitamin D shots Clemens took certainly helped him to recover quickly!
How much deferred?
You should be a stand-up comedian
Or even a sit down one.
Overpay alert
Overpay??? Nah very good deal. Kim is solid.
How can you tell what if it’s 10MM the first year and 19MM next year? We need the breakdown first of contract first to decide.
Massive overpay ! When I saw the headline I thought he signed for cheap
By what metric are rating this because he can hit, field, and steal. He’s injured, but should be back around May. Also it’s 13 million this year and he probably opts out if fully healthy or is traded first. By no means is that bad.
He’s hurt. What percentage of players come back on time ? It’s def less than 70%. So there’s a decent chance he’s not ready. And when players have down seasons it’s typically bc they are playing hurt. He’s worth closer to 20 fully healthy but you don’t if he ever will be fully healthy again bc it was a shoulder injury if memory serves correct and a percentage of those guys never make it back
I wouldn’t say he can hit. His bat won’t necessarily hurt the team, but he’s basically league average with the bat.
Not when you factor in SD field. Go league ave there and you might win a silver slugger lol
lol I’m including the OPS+ basically a 105 last three years… pretty average
“closer to 20 mill when healthy”
when healthy he posted 4.9 and 5.8 WAR
Thats 20 mill a year right? Cause Thats near top of the mlb in terms of war.
2022 he finished 41st in WAR which includes pitchers but among position players he finished a lot higher than 41st
2023 he finished 13th. Again take out pithcers hes top 10 ish that year.
Hes easily capable of giving a team 3-4 war minimum when healthy. anything above is icing on the cake.
General rule of thumb: 5 million for the first fWAR and 10 million per fWAR after that. Hence, a 2 fWAR year should be about 15 million. Prediction based on about 120 games is: 2.2 to 2.6 fWAR.
Last offseason 1 point of bWAR in the previous season was worth $9.25 million in free agency signings. I have not checked to see where it stands this offseason.
A 2.6 WAR player at $9.25 million/WAR would be worth $24 WAR and prior to the injury Kim was expected to get $4/100 to 5/125 in free agency.
Definite not an over pay. He’s averaged 2 war or more every year hes played
With a 4.9 and 5.8 war on his resume already
Rays got a steal.
He’s healthy his defense alone with 90-100 OPS+ hes gonna generae 3 war minimum
This is a steal for the rays
Not much of a steal if he doesn’t play until July then opts out. Also that injury has hurt players offensive numbers.
If he opts out he’ll probably be worth a QO.
Glad I was not available to continue this debate so you could do much better than I wouldve here, BSDFNFL! Kim’s a damn fine player and I really wanted on the Yankees.
“He’s healthy his defense alone with 90-100 OPS+ hes gonna generae 3 war minimum”
Rays outspending the Mariners this offseason
Unreal
Oh, it’s real.
Ugh. What is going on in their front office? M’s 100% could have made that same deal, self imposed budget or not.
They could have but Kim still gets to choose.
They should’ve made that deal, and several others…
You think it’s possible that maybe free agent position players don’t want to go to Seattle when they have seen some other really good hitters struggle the one year they were there?
I’m not trying to be a smarta$$ about it either, I’m just genuinely curious if that is something players think about especially when it could hurt their next contract.
I would bet all the players talk about it. And definitely why they don’t want to sign here. I find Teoscar’s comments about the angled batter’s eye very interesting.
I think it falls more on the cheap owner.
Joe: simply put, yup.
Noooooooooooooo!!!! Wanted him for the Mariners
Holy sheet, I’d have thought the Pirates would do something like this before the Rays
D- Pirates have management problems but they wisely do not give opt out contracts.
Not sure what the Rays were thinking.
What the heck. Awesome deal for the Rays. I’ve secretly hoping he’d come to the Yanks.
We wanted him back, but wowza he got paid well! Good for HSK, but we’ll miss him in SD!
For what Kim can do I think he’s worth the money. I’ve loved him in fantasy.
What he did he’ll likely do again in. 2026. But not likely 2025
I think there is a George M, Steinbrenner Field lease provision which requires Kim to be benched whenever the Yankees are playing the Rays at their “home”.
Good for the Rays!
Why?
JK. Kim is a very good player. 🙂
It seemed you were implying that a player the Yankees could have used or liked isn’t allowed to play against them, and that just seemed like the most entitled thing I’ve heard today.
Salzilla: Yep, he’s one who I had hoped (knowing they weren’t going anywhere near top-end personnel) they would sign for IF help. Oh well, now I know he will hit .300 and slug.550 against us… ugh.
He would’ve been perfect for the Yankees, given his positional versatility.
Absolutely perfect. This should have been a deal they made.
@sal
Really? Pay that kind of salary plus the 100% lux tax for a guy coming off an injury that might not be ready until June or July? That’s half the season.
I would 100%. I really like Kim’s game and we have enough till he gets there.
@Sal
So if we have enough to get is to June, then why couldn’t we have enough to get thru August- September? Think about it. With the lux tax, you’re talking $20+ million plus it puts them in dirtier diress if they wish to go after Tucker or Vlad next year.
Wow! Big contract for an injured guy going to a cheap team. They’ll probably trade him mid year if he plays well.
He might not be back until the TDL, maybe the Rays have eyes on a ’26 trade. To be fair, I know nothing!
Another way to hold Carson Williams down in the minors as long as possible.
His K rate and over hypedness are two more
Exactly. He’s a possible star in the making, if he can make better contact. Big if.
Williams was never coming up this year. It would have been Walls all year…Kim will likely opt out in FA next year.
Wow! Insane amount of money for HSK.
It’s really not that much for him. The injury is discounting his value significantly.
His fWAR for the last 3 years has been 3.6, 4.2, and then it was 2.6 last year in less games because he was hurt. He plays gold glove caliber defense at SS and 2B.
But he’s hurt. If he plays half a season and then opts out that’s a lot of money for not a lot of production.
Interesting move for the thrifty Rays. They must have felt the need to shore up the infield. If Kim can come back anywhere close to his 2022-23 form, he’ll be more than useful. But that’s a gamble after the injury.
I wanted the Tigers to get this guy.
Keith Law has the Tigers with 7 on his recent top 100 MLB prospects. If half of them pan out, the Tigers are going to be pretty good in the AL Central. They should prioritize extending Skubal.
The Tigers are probably still trying to acquire Bregman, for a lot more than it would have cost to get Ha-Seong Kim. I do think they should try to resign Skubal and Greene.
I wouldn’t be surprised. Reports are out that Bregman has better offers than what the Astros have standing for him.
How many Boras All-Star caliber clients (and/or MVP – Cy Young winners) have extended within 1-2 years of free agency?
The answer might be zero or very close to it.
Regardless, I’ll betcha there isn’t an offer in Marian Ilitch’s future that could get that job done.
They got Kahnle 🙁
Farwell, Tommy “Tight Pants”. Say hi to Gleyber for us.
They’re going to look even tighter without pinstripes.
I also like to refer to him as the Quadfather 🙂
Best of luck in Detroit, Tommy. You’re gonna love him, Tigers fans.
Craven: I thought that was Strider’s nickname.
Strider goes by Tommy Tightpants too? W e i r d
You are shooting a tad high on that. About 20% of Top 100 prospects become average MLB players. About 3% become All Stars.
Ship
This one is puzzling to me when they currently have the top rated shortstop prospect in baseball and it seemed like he was someone they are ready to bring up.
If the Rays are out of the running by the trade deadline and Kim is playing well, the Rays can trade him for a good haul. However, the acquiring team can’t issue him a QO (if he declines his ’26 option) as he was traded mid-season.
And is that top-rated prospect MLB-ready? I assume the Rays don’t think he will be ready until at least next year. But, it’s really irrelevant because Kim can play all over, so they would just shift him.
Agree, he’s Carson Williams insurance at a position they don’t have a real answer for this year. CW has 15 PA in AAA and those came in 2023. This pushes Taylor Walls to a bench role, and frees up José Caballero to play some OF in the event Morel can’t look passable in LF. (or fails to hit as has been case since joining the club).
If CW plays well they can probably find an interested team that would give something for second year or he opts out with a really good season. The team has a lot of positional flexibility now, and they’re going to need to leverage those matchups with few guys who profile well regardless of opponent.
The Rays do not see Williams as being ready yet. They are super conservative with their prospects and barely bring them up earlier than anticipated. They will have Williams spend most of his season in AAA. If he does well and Kim does well and the Rays are not in the running, then we might see Kim traded and Williams brought up to backup Walls. Otherwise we won’t see him this year.
Yuck. I dont like this deal at all and especially for the Rays. The guy is hurt.
He is only expected to be out the first month of the season. The Rays usually know what they are doing.
Who said 1 month Boras?
I have read multiple articles that said May. Boras said even sooner.
@Pauly
Boras says April, but Padres suggested May thru July.
Labrum surgery on throwing arm for a SS makes him questionable for all of first half of 2025, or longer.
Lotta teams wanted him. At least I’d think
Dern. The Rays spent money!
In the prediction contest, I had him going to Atlanta because the Braves said that they were looking to upgrade at shortstop. If he’s back at full health, Kim is a good get for any team. Solid move for the Rays…
Glad HSK got paid. It’s unfortunate he got hurt this past season. Fun player to watch, plays hard, and an absolute wizard with the glove. Always sucks to lose a fan favorite, but can’t say I’m surprised.
The rate of inflation on H.S Kims is crazy since the Dodgers signed theirs at $12.5 mill for 3 years less than, what, a month ago?
HSK on the NASDAQ ticker, buy buy buy!
Best player on the team.
Surprised he couldn’t get more. He a GG SS that is a league average hitter and isn’t even 30 yet….those things don’t grow on trees.
HSK got good deal coming off an injury . He’s solid defender and always hustles.Padres fans will miss you!
Another typical Rays move to trade him at the deadline and stock up on prospects!
Brilliant! The defense of every infielder on the team just got better. They can pump the breaks and offensively develop and control their top SS prospect, Carson Williams.
Kim will also become a great, low-cost trade piece once he establishes his health in 2025…well done! One of the best values this free agent cycle.
Yikes. Labrum surgerys are brutal recovery (from experience). Rarely do players have a good first year back.
Padres also didn’t QO Kim which means the Rays can if he returns to form. And if he isn’t traded and opts out it’s nearly guaranteed they do that seeing as there’s only a $5m difference between the QO and the value of his player option.
Unless he absolutely mashes (doubtful) in his “half” season, I would say it’s extremely farfetched that HSK gets QO’d post-’25.
Like I said. The valley between his player option and the QO isn’t that wide. Odds are he either exercises the player option or hits FA with a QO attached next winter.
1%-3% chance he gets QO’ed. Not happening.
@Gwynning then 96-98% chance he exercises his player option.
Doesn’t exactly work that way, but we’ll see!
@Gwynning I said it before. I’ll say it again. The valley between his player option and the QO isn’t that wide.
We all heard you the first time, why do you keep repeating it? lol
The notoriously penny-pinching Rays may not want to cover a 5 milly gap. Besides, he has an extremely decent likelihood of being gone at the TDL if he shows well. Nite bro!
Edit: good to see your argumentative self back on, Harambe. That’s you, right?!?! RIGHT?!?! Lol
Why wouldn’t they want to cover that gap? Signing a comparably talented player would cost a lot more in FA. And odds are excellent he declines the QO which means they don’t have to pay him anyway. For probably 95% of players who have ever received a QO the QO was simply a formality intended to lock in that extra draft pick and the team never actually had any expectation or desire for the player to accept it.
I didn’t have the Rays spending money on my offseason bingo card.
And none of us had the A’s.
I figured they’d spend some money just so they could keep up a payroll minimum for revenue sharing but I thought they’d take on some bad contracts instead of, you know, getting productive-ish players.
Pretty good money for a guy with a bum shoulder
Can FINALLY SAY AFTER THIS SIGNING THE YANKEES ONCE AGAIN MESS UP ON COMPLETING A MASTER CLASS OFF SEASON
Wow! 2 years?! Did we get a new owner when I was sleeping? I figured we would sign a quadruple A reserve infielder to a minor league contract. I guess this is the guy who will be replacing Brandon Lowe in a few months. Now we just need a slick fielding first baseman who hits .180 to replace Diaz, and maybe we can do a package deal of Lowe and Diaz for 3 AA relievers with max spin rate and no potential.
That is great news for Kim and I hope for the best for him. He is a fun and exciting player. Passan is saying he will return as soon as May so it looks like Preller was correct in his assessment. People really should pay attention to the guy that has access to the medical reports.
The arthroscopic shoulder labral repair he had is not one that many players ever return to full health after, especially on the throwing shoulder. According to a study in the Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Journal, 28% that have had that surgery from 2000 to 2020 never returned. Just 24% have returned to baseline performance (RTPP) 3 years after the surgery and all have had declines at 12 months after the surgery.
Pitchers had a 20.5% return to baseline performance rate 3 years after the surgery, so because the surgery was on Kim’s throwing shoulder that could have an impact on what team’s believed his defensive play would be going forward. It could also mean a long term move to 2B for Kim where arm strength is not as much of an issue.
Bellinger and Tatis had that same surgery and the decline in their hitting afterwards is pronounced.
Knowing he would be out until at least May and had a 76% chance of not returning to baseline performance (his career averages to when the surgery was performed), I think the Padres made a good call in not guaranteeing Kim $29 million.
Pads bringing the research. Damn..
Psssst……the similarity between the 3 accounts is too obvious.
Nobody else could beat 13 mil, huh? Most of these owners are money hoggin prix.
Or they didn’t want to pay a guy with a bum shoulder 13 million. He won’t even be ready to play ball until May.
Would you rather this contract or Gimenez contract on your team?….asking for a friend (Ross Atkins)
If he plays half a season with one arm he’ll give the Rays more than Taylor Walls will. Carson Williams isn’t ready yet. Let’s see if he can strike out less than 27% of the time (his AA rate) at Durham before we start complaining about his being held back for no reason.
Way to get paid, HSK…I’ll miss chanting your name at the Pads games!
Me too! That was fun.
Great pick-up for Tampa. Dude is a gamer n does alot of things well. Hopefully comes back from injury strong. Think he could of helped any team
With Kim and Profar gone, the Padres clubhouse will be a heckuva lot less chummy for the guys. Both also were big fan faves.
Won’t be the same at the ol’ ballyard.
BTW – Boras saying Kim will be ready in April is primetime Boras. He just can’t help himself, can he? How does he not have a cabinet post by now? Other than, he can’t afford the pay cut.
I sincerely doubt the Rays believe it or signed the guy based on that since one surmises they have access to actual licensed doctors in the Tampa area (and hopefully for them one that Boras didn’t select).
Good on him for getting that kind of money. He will always be a fan favorite at Petco.
Circle Friday April 25th on the calendar, Beerfest annnnd the Rays in town. Let’s show Kim how much we miss him! Mad respect!
I’m a big fan of Kim, and think he is underrated by many, however to me there is too much risk involved with his throwing shoulder to justify the contract.
If he even plays half a season and proves himself healthy they paid a significant amount of money for someone who will go somewhere else.
I have to admit I am a little surprised by this deal.
Poor homeless broke ass Mariners
Really good on the Rays! If their injured hurlers return to form, they could contend.
I thought all asian players prefer the west coast to be closer to home?
Is Junior Caminero the next Wander Franco?
Ummm, dare I ask… in what way?
Remarkably risky move for a team that is risk-averse and cash-poor (especially with their stadium situation).
Kim brings little excess value given a) his blurry return date, b) the very real danger his defense and/or offense could suffer after his shoulder surgery (see Kemp/Bellinger for examples), and c) even if he does play 3-4 months of good baseball, he’s likely to opt out at year end. The downside significantly outweighs the potential upside, IMO, so this one is a head-scratcher.
Don’t forget the draft pick from the QO if he does opt out.
I think even the Rays are tired of seeing Walls play on the field
THE RAYS ARE RUINING BASEBALL
Are you Chris Taylor? Get back to practice, you need it
Boras can work wonders with lower-grade free agents, often securing them surprisingly high contracts – this is a crazy overpaid. However, his challenge lies with B+ to questionable players, like Alonso, who buy into Boras’ sales pitch.
So, they signed an injured SS, who’s shoulder surgery could significantly impact his throwing ability, which is a major part of his defensive value. Oh well, it’s 2 years, so I guess the Rays have some money to burn…
Still better than Taylor Walls!
As a Seattle Mariners fan I am jealous of teams that are willing to spend money to make their teams better. Perhaps this opens the door for B. Lowe to be traded to the Mariners for Harry Ford and something else? Maybe Ford is enough?
Terrible pic choice MLBTR cmon
Decent player but of course people on here will act like it’s a great signing that will take the Rays to the next level lol.
Look at what they’re replacing and you’ll understand why we are excited. What an upgrade!
Guess it was smart of him to decline his option.
I wish HSK great luck with the Rays. We loved watching him play in San Diego and he played great defense at multiple positions. His 3.8 WAR average during his time here is 4th best on the team over those 4 years. I think I am speaking for all Padres fans when I say we are going to miss him here.
It would have been nice to bring him back, but at that price I can see why Preller didn’t. That injury to his throwing shoulder is a tough one to come back from. I cannot think of a single shortstop or 3B that came back from that injury to their throwing shoulder to post WAR that was even close to before the injury.
The Padres already have one player recovering from that surgery in Tatis. It wasn’t his throwing shoulder and his play has still suffered for 2 seasons.
The good news is that even with a bad throwing shoulder he will still be better than Taylor Walls
Is Walls that bad?
@web
YES!!! The only reason his WAR is not negative is his above average defense and his stealing abilities.
If you watch the Rays you realize just how bad he is at the plate. I stand by my comment that after he leaves the Rays he will not get another Major League contract offer… Well, maybe by the White Sox, but no respectable team will waste a roster spot outside of the Rays. If his defense or stealing slips, he would do more bad than good.
Let me give you a different perspective. This shoulder injury to Kim was never as bad as the one to Tatis, Conforto or Hoskins. At least based upon early reports. .
But who knows for sure. Comparing how bad one of these guys shoulder injuries is to another is just impossible. We (as fans) just do not get enough details to make those determinations. We see more of this in knee injuries. Some guys with knee injuries come back in 4 weeks. Some guys take over a year.
But to give you an older reference of a great recovery and where throwing was a key, how about this.
On August 30, 1985, Roger Clemens underwent reconstructive surgery to repair the torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. The next season he missed no starts and won the Cy Young.
If you scroll up, you will see the stats from a medical journal on how often players return to their previous level of play after the same surgery and its not encouraging.
His GM at the time, who had access to his medical records, said he would not begin throwing at all until April and would be game ready some time between May and July. He is a guy that would know the severity of the injury better than you and I or anyone else on this website.
Clemens, the exception that proves the rule.
From a medical standpoint, shoulder surgeries—particularly those involving labral tears—can present varying recovery challenges, especially for athletes. My experience suggests that many men do not regain full function as quickly as they hope, so there is nothing definitive in my post indicating that Kim will make a strong return.
And I agree with you. The Padres’ general manager, with input from the team’s medical staff, may certainly have valuable insights into his recovery trajectory.
However, within this article and subsequent discussions, there appears to be a prevailing assumption that Kim’s injury was more severe—a full tear rather than a minor one. That distinction is critical when assessing recovery potential.
Comparing Kim’s situation to Rhys Hoskins or Michael Conforto is not particularly useful, as both of them sustained full labral tears.
The initial reports on Kim suggested a conservative rehab approach before ultimately opting for surgery, and the specifics matter—his diagnosis was a small labral tear, classified as a Grade 1 SLAP tear.
To put this in perspective, SLAP tears are categorized on a scale from 1 to 5, with Grade 1 being the least severe and Grade 5 being the most serious.
Neither Hoskins nor Conforto had a Grade 1 tear, which makes their recoveries less relevant comparisons.
A more appropriate reference point would be other professional baseball players who have dealt with Grade 1 SLAP tears.
That was my reasoning in mentioning Roger Clemens, whose recovery from a Grade 1 SLAP tear clearly was amazing.
But Clemens is not an exception. Many Major League players have recovered from Grade 1 SLAP tears within six months without drawing public attention..
Unlike full-thickness labral tears (Hoskins and Conforto), which often result in prolonged absences and performance declines, a Grade 1 tear (the least severe type) typically involves minor fraying of the labrum and NO SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL ISSUES.
did his injury scare teams that much? seems like a bargin, rays are smarter then all
“they are going to be playing the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida… perhaps less ticket revenue for the upcoming season”
Well if the Rays lose an average of 5K fans due to this, they’d still actually have sell-out crowds at this Single A stadium. Find the silver linings.
It also doesn’t mention the increased prices the Rays are asking to attend these games. Bring in a better location plus all the Yankees/Sox fans will allow them to sell out pretty frequently I’d imagine. To be honest I think being in a smaller stadium is a bit over exaggerated when talking about loss of revenue. At the end of the day most Rays tickets cost less than 20 bucks and I don’t think ticket sales really brought them that much revenue anyways.
Damnit
Good for him! I hope he converts it to stardom. The dude hustled and was enthusiastic. He worked for a nutso owner and a delusional GM in San Diego.
If everybody around you is nuts, then you’re probably a squirrel. Terrible post again Crikes. You’re batting oh-for-ever. Find some class. You should have ended your post after the first 3 sentences.
The heinous activities of Franco and the heinous hitting of Taylor Walls forces the Rays to actually spend some money.
Wow, I wasn’t expecting this. I like it. Yeah if Kim plays even decent ball he’s gonna opt out, and he won’t be playing until a few months after OD, but I’ll take an injured Kim over a fully healthy Walls any day.
Best of luck to him. He had some good years in SD.
Good for Kim leave the padres in the rear view
Was hoping the Tigers would look his way. Nice signing by a well run organization.
My favorite Padres ever. I’d love to see him back in action when the Rays come to Petco at the end of April.
Another stupid move for the Rays. A lot of money for a decent back of the order hitter. And that does nothing for you when you have no middle of the order. Living in Florida with the 3rd highest population in the US, why do we have nobody who can do baseball? MLB should outright force Miami to sell at this point because they have no interest in putting out a good product whatsoever.
Kim’s WAR has been superb not decent.
The Tigers should have been chasing Kim instead of Bregman. Smart signing by TB.
Everyday I hate the mariners more
It doesn’t make sense to me. If he doesn’t return until July, then it a fairly high salary for a rehabbing player.
Man I love this move for the Rays and I don’t understand why more teams weren’t in on him. I don’t see how there is much of a risk on this deal. Just with his glove alone he covers half the contract. And even though last year was a step back I think a break out with the bat is still a possibility. And the dude chain smoke cigs like a mad man in between innings. What’s not to love?
For $29 mil there is some serious upside on this deal. And I don’t even think the Rays are crying about $29 in today’s market if it doesn’t work out.
Braves should have done this deal and moved Arcia to the bench. This is an immediate upgrade both offensively and defensively