The U.S. sports media Bleacher Report placed Kim Ha-sung ninth in the FA rankings on the 14th (Korea Standard Time), predicting the size of contracts for major players who will sign large contracts in the FA market this winter.
The media said, “Kim Ha-sung has accumulated RWAR (contribution to victory against substitute players based on the Baseball Conference), which is as high as Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers) over the past three seasons,” adding, “This is an issue that raises Kim Ha-sung’s stock price.”
In his fourth year in the Major League, Kim has a batting average of 0.242 (377 hits in 1,561 times at bat), 45 homers, 187 RBIs, 205 runs and 70 steals, with an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.711. In 71 games this season, he has a batting average of 0.222 (53 hits in 239 times at bat), nine homers, 34 RBIs, 36 runs and 14 steals, with an OPS of 0.729.
Kim Ha-sung suffered a slump in batting early in the season, but he is aiming for the FA jackpot by gradually increasing his pace in June. As Kim Ha-sung’s performance is improving, the possibility of a trade is also emerging locally. The Athletic reported this summer that the Cleveland Guardians are aiming for Kim Ha-sung.
Cleveland is leading the American League’s central district (43-23), but weaknesses are being highlighted in the shortstop position, The Athletic said. “Brian Rocchio and Gabriel Arias have not been able to perform well in attack.” 스포츠토토사이트
“There are Triple-A players under the team, but we have not confirmed who will be paired with second baseman Andres Jimenez in the infield in the future,” he said, adding, “The short-term solution is Kim Ha-sung and Bob Bissett (Toronto Blue Jays).”
Kim Ha-sung, who signed a four-plus-one-year contract with San Diego for up to $39 million (about 53.7 billion won) in the 2020 season, has an option to extend it by one year after the end of this season, but he is likely to give up and enter the FA market.
The Athletic predicted that if Kim Ha-sung comes to the FA market, he will receive an annual average of $20 million (about 27.5 billion won) and a total of more than $100 million (about 137.8 billion won).