This offseason, the San Diego Padres have already witnessed manager Bob Melvin and highly sought-after free agent Jung Hoo Lee join the San Francisco Giants. How likely is it that the Padres’ Gold Glove-winning shortstop will be lost to their National League West rivals?
Although trading Ha-Seong Kim, one of the Padres’ offensive leaders from 2023, to their division rivals is a ridiculous idea, there are some intriguing indicators to look at if you’re searching for even the slightest chance that it could happen.
Giants’ enormous six-year, $113 million deal for Lee sealed the San Francisco offseason that has been hurting San Diego. Initially, Melvin left the Padres to become the manager of San Francisco. Subsequently, Lee’s agreement has put an end to a purported competition between the Giants and Padres to sign him to his first Major League Baseball deal.
Lee referenced Kim, a former KBO colleague who is in the last year of a four-year, $28 million contract, in an interview that he conducted shortly after the Giants introduced him and following his return to Korea.
Although Kim has a $7 million mutual option for the 2025 campaign, it seems likely that his services will become more expensive in the upcoming seasons. If he can maintain the kind of performance he had in 2023, Kim should aim to become a free agent after the upcoming season.
It would be wonderful to play with the same team once more, Lee remarked of Kim in that interview. But we’ll have to wait and see. I called him the same day after signing. I’ll get to play for a fantastic manager, he assured me.
It’s true that Kim and Melvin spent a lot of time together in San Diego, and their familiarity with one another may be useful if the Giants decide to trade for a shortstop, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported in this piece.
Kim and Milwaukee’s Willy Adames were mentioned specifically as potential trade targets by Slusser, who thinks the Giants would attempt to assemble a trade package that includes former second overall choice Joey Bart. Maybe San Francisco could utilize the catcher as a change of scenery candidate to land Kim, given his poor performance in his first 162 games wearing a Giants uniform?
Although Bart by himself wouldn’t be enough to get Kim, the Padres might be to in him as part of a larger package.
Of course, it’s difficult to imagine a deal within the division, particularly with a team led by their previous manager. But now is the best moment for A.J. Preller to at least be considering offers, even if they come from within the division, if the Padres want to capitalize on the season in which Kim recorded 5.8 bWAR (the highest of any San Diego position player).
With his ability to reach base quickly and use his speed to score a lot of runs, Kim would instantly be positioned at the top of the Giants lineup. In 2023, Kim scored 84 runs and stole 38 bases. Additionally, he hit a career-high 17 home runs.
The Giants may try to extend Kim’s contract if they can acquire him through a trade, as Lee is now signed for six years. This would allow Lee and Kim to remain at the top of their lineup for many years to come.
Regardless of how brilliant Kim was this past season, the Padres have enough infielders in Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, and Jake Cronenworth to ease the pain of his loss. Given that Kim would be an ideal addition to the Giants, now might be the right moment for a trade between these two division rivals.
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