Ha-Seong Kim and the Rays in agreement on a two year deal
Another free agent comes off the board as the Tampa Bay Rays signed Ha-Seong Kim to a two year deal worth $29 million with an opt out following the 2025 season. Kim declined his $8 million mutual option with the San Diego Padres after the 2024 season which didn’t come as much of a surprise as Kim has proved to be one of the more valuable infielders over the past three seasons.
Although Kim is coming off of a shoulder injury that sidelined him for a portion of 2024 and at least the beginning of 2025, he is still in the prime of his career and can provide a lot in many different ways. The Rays had a hole to fill at the shortstop position if they wanted to compete this upcoming season. The Rays had four different players log time at shortstop in 2024 - Jose Caballero, Taylor Walls, Amed Rosario, and Niko Goodrum. Caballero and Walls got the bulk of the time at short while Rosario and Goodrum are no longer with Tampa Bay. Collectively as a group, they produced just 1.3 fWAR along with a .604 OPS and a 79 wRC+. All of those marks ranked within the bottom six in baseball. While they suffered offensively, Walls and Caballero did provide a lot both defensively and on the bases. Their combined 8 DRS and 6.6 UZR both ranked within the top five, while Caballero also swiped 44 bags which would rank the Rays second in steals at the shortstop position.
The good news for the Rays is that Kim does both of those things very well, and also can hit at a league-average level. Kim came over to the states from the KBO in 2021 at the age of 25, and while he struggled in his first year, he has been nothing short of consistent since. From the start of 2022 until now, Kim has posted a .721 OPS and a 106 wRC+. While his power numbers aren’t very impressive, Kim is able to produce through making a lot of contact and getting on base. In 2024, he sported a 98th percentile chase% (18.6), 92nd percentile whiff% (16.1), 81st percentile K% (16.4), and a 96th percentile BB% (12.3). This is exactly what you are looking for from someone that can be a game-changer on the base paths. Speaking of which, Kim has stolen 72 bases since the start of 2022 which ranks 21st in that time frame.
Defensively, Kim is at the top of his class. While it looks like he’ll take over the full-time role at shortstop once he gets healthy, Kim is a defender you can plug into either shortstop, third base, or second base and get above average results from the glove. He has logged over 500 innings at each position since his rookie year and has collected 48 DRS between the three spots. That ranks sixth in all of baseball in that time frame. His versatility defensively will provide a lot of flexibility to the Rays’ lineup and how they plan to construct their roster moving forward. Their top prospect, Carson Williams who happens to be the best shortstop prospect in baseball, is likely to get a taste of big league action sometime in 2025. With Kim’s versatility, a move elsewhere should work seamlessly.
After adding catcher Danny Jansen and now Ha-Seong Kim, the Rays have received upgrades at the two most important positions on the field after a lackluster year. With 2025 being a year they feel they can compete for a division championship, they have got to feel good about how their roster is shaping up.
