Longtime San Diego Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim is still a free agent as the 2025 regular season nears. Could the New York Yankees be a legitimate landing spot for the 2023 Gold Glove Award winner?
According to Spotrac, Kim’s market value for a new contract is four years and $49 million. But since he’s still lingering on the open market this late in the offseason, it seems unlikely he’ll reach those numbers.
Kim’s 2024 campaign ended prematurely because of a shoulder injury. His rehab from surgery won’t be finished before opening day, either. The 29-year-old will likely have to settle for a short-term deal that’s one or two years long. This could be the perfect opportunity for Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who is still in need of more infield depth now that Gleyber Torres signed with the Detroit Tigers.
FOX Sports’ Deesha Thosar is predicting Kim will ultimately land with the Bronx Bombers.
“Kim’s high baseball IQ and defensive versatility and prowess would be a breath of fresh air for a Yankees team that ranked 30th in FanGraphs’ baserunning metrics in 2024 and routinely suffered from defensive miscues, poor fundamentals, and mental lapses in the infield (see: the World Series),” Thosar wrote. “The Yankees don’t need more flashy free-agent signings now; they need a dynamic jack-of-all-trades Gold Glover like Kim who can quietly transform their offensive production.”
Acquiring Kim would likely finish the offensive transformation the Yankees’ roster has gone through after losing outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Mets. The Bombers have also acquired former National League MVP Award winners Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt this winter.
