Infielder Ha-Seong Kim and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a two-year, $29 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, sources tell ESPN. Kim is coming off shoulder surgery but is expected to return in May and slated to take over at shortstop.
Rays sign Ha-Seong Kim to a two-year deal
Photo credit: © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Jan 29, 2025, 15:45 ESTUpdated: Jan 29, 2025, 15:44 EST
A team in the American League East division got stronger on Wednesday afternoon.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Tampa Bay Rays have signed Ha-Seong Kim to a two-year, $29 million deal, including an opt-out after the first season. Moreover, Kim will miss the first month or so due to recovering from surgery.
From 2014 until 2020, Kim played baseball in his home country of South Korea, eventually signing a four-year, $28 million deal with the San Diego Padres before the 2021 season. In his first season in North America, he slashed .202/.270/.352 with eight home runs in 298 plate appearances for a 71 wRC+, by far his worst season with the bat.
Kim found his footing the next season, slashing .251/.325/.383 with 11 home runs in 582 plate appearances for a 105 wRC+. His best season in the big leagues was in 2023, where the shortstop slashed .260/.351/.398 with a career-high 17 home runs in 626 plate appearances for a 110 wRC+ and a 4.2 fWAR.
Last season, Kim slashed .233/.330/.370 with 11 home runs in 470 plate appearances for a 101 wRC+, along with a 2.6 fWAR. On top of solid hitting, Kim is a terrific infield defender. Last season in 1046.2 innings at shortstop, the 29-year-old had 2 Defensive Runs Saved and 4 Outs Above Average. For his career, he has 24 DRS and 11 OAA in 2552 innings.
At second base, he had 10 DRS and 7 OAA in 856.2 innings in 2023, on top of a career 15 DRS and 8 OAA. He’s played some third base as well, where he’s accumulated 9 DRS and 2 OAA in 590.1 innings.
Kim seemed like an ideal fit for the Toronto Blue Jays heading into the off-season as he provides strong defence and the ability to play around the dirt. However, they traded Spencer Horwitz to the Cleveland Guardians in December for Andrés Giménez and Nick Sandlin.
The former provides similarly strong defence at second base with the ability to play around the dirt. Moreover, Giménez’s ceiling is higher as he once hit .287/.371/.466 with 17 home runs in 557 plate appearances or a 141 wRC+ in 2022. With that being said, his floor is lower though, as Giménez slashed .252/.298/.340 with nine home runs in 633 plate appearances for an 83 wRC+ last season.
It’ll be interesting to see how Kim does for the Rays this season. They tend to get the best out of the players that play for their team and perhaps Kim’s bat can be taken to the next level.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.
Breaking News
- Trey Yesavage’s Game 5 dominance brings Blue Jays within one win of the World Series title
- Blue Jays: Jeff Hoffman has proved he’s worth every cent with his postseason performance
- Instant Reaction: Blue Jays defeat Dodgers 6-1 in Game 5 of World Series
- Blue Jays: Trey Yesavage sets rookie World Series record with 12 strikeouts
- Blue Jays: Arizona Fall League Game 16 recap