The Athletic, a local media outlet, said in an article titled “Guardians’ Introduction to MLB Trade
Three Stories to Watch” on the 13th (Korean Standard Time) that the Cleveland Guardians could covet shortstop Kim Ha-sung this summer.
Why Cleveland? It is leading the American League Central with 43 wins and 23 losses. It is 5.5 games away from the second-ranked Kansas City Royals. FanGraphs put Cleveland’s probability of entering the playoffs at 85.2 percent. It is the first time in two years following 2022.
However, Cleveland’s biggest weakness is shortstop.
“Guardians are ready to attack the market this summer. They are desperately trying to reinforce their starting lineup and want strong bats,” said journalist Jack Maisel, who wrote the article. “Both strikers Brian Locchio and Gabriel Arias have weak bats. Daniel Schneeman recently joined Triple-A and Jose Tena, Juan Brito, and Angel Martinez are growing up, but this is not the right answer for them to have a Keystone combination with (second baseman) Andrés Jiménez.”
Rockino, Cleveland’s main shortstop, has a batting average of 0.213 (37 hits in 174 times at bat), one homer, 11 RBIs and an OPS of 0.603, which ranks among the lowest in offense capability. Indeed, the team needs a shortstop equipped with bat capability. In other words, Kim Ha-sung is an alternative.
“Guardians can find short-term solutions if they cannot be resolved internally. We need a batter who can immediately strengthen our offense capability at the shortstop position,” said reporter Maisel, recalling the splendid name Blue Jays Beau-Vichette. However, it is unclear whether Toronto will become a seller next month. Kim Ha-sung could be an attractive alternative if the Padres move away from the (Autumn Baseball) race, although the possibility is slim at the moment.
However, in terms of the possibility of trade, Bichette is close to ‘frequent’ and Kim Ha-sung is close to ‘impossible’.
There were a lot of trade rumors about Kim Ha-sung last winter. In fact, the San Diego club pushed for it. Although AJ Preller did not call the price too high, it was known that he received considerable inquiries from the trade market.
However, Kim Ha-sung is indispensable to the San Diego Padres since the beginning of the season. The San Diego Padres has a high chance to advance to the post season this year. The San Diego Padres, which beat the Oakland Athletics for three consecutive games on the day, are ranking second in the NL West with 37 wins and 35 losses, and second in the wild card. The FanGraphs estimated the probability of San Diego’s fall baseball at 60.1 percent. The probability increased again from 57.3 percent on the previous day.
There is no reason to put Kim Ha-sung, the “hack” of offense and defense, on the market. Even if the possibility of a playoff is virtually eliminated due to the “drastic drop” of San Diego’s “one in the world” after the All-Star break in July, it will be difficult to put Kim Ha-sung on the market. This is because there is a $7 million mutual option for next season. In other words, if Kim Ha-sung has any chance of choosing this option, he could sign an extension contract after the season ends. San Diego needs to pay attention in particular to the fact that Kim Ha-sung has absolute support from home fans.
Kim Ha-sung’s batting performance has taken an upward turn since June. He has a batting average of 0.222 (53 hits in 239 times at bat), nine homers, 34 RBIs, 36 runs scored, 41 walks, 14 steals, and OPS of 0.729. In the recent 14 games, he has shown a sharp upward trend, posting a batting average of 0.261 (12 hits in 46 times at bat), three homers, 11 RBIs, nine runs, nine walks, and 0.940.
If Kim Ha-sung gives up his options after this season and enters the FA market, he will be ranked first and second along with Willy Adames of the Milwaukee Brewers in the shortstop category. Still, it is evaluated that Kim Ha-sung is ahead in terms of all the ability of offense and defense players. As of the day, bWAR is 2.0 for Kim Ha-sung and 1.8 for Adames.토토사이트 추천
Shortstop is always called for in the market. Chances are high that not only Cleveland but also the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox, who desperately need shortstop, will jump in for Kim Ha-sung.
“Boston is expected to have minor league shortstop Marcelo Mayer make his Major League debut this year,” said Boston fan media BoSox Injection. “As a result, the shortstop that Craig Brisslow wants to bring in this summer is a player with a low reputation. Kim Ha-sung and Willie Adames, who will become FA later this year, say that Boston has to yield promising players, which is too expensive.” This means that Boston could eventually target the FA market later this year.