The San Diego Padres will be looking to trim their roster this winter. This will likely affect their decision to sign Kim Ha-seong, 28, to an extension.
The American publication The Athletic released a power ranking of the 18 major league teams that did not make the postseason on Tuesday, and the Padres were ranked No. 1. The Padres failed to make the postseason this year, going 82-80 (.506 winning percentage) and finishing third in the National League West. They made a late push after September, going 20-7 (.740 winning percentage), but the bus had already left.
The media said, “San Diego is the best team in baseball that didn’t make the postseason. They rank second in the NL in team ERA and sixth in runs scored. They have a Cy Young Award frontrunner (Blake Snell) and a Trevor Hoffman Award frontrunner (Josh Hader). Juan Soto (35) and Manny Machado (30) both hit over 30 home runs, while Fernando Tatis Jr. had 25 home runs and 29 doubles.
“Ha-Ro Kim also had his best season, hitting 17 home runs and stealing 38 bases.” “San Diego is likely to make significant cost-cutting moves this offseason. This will make it difficult to retain several free agents, including Hader and Snell. However, they should still be considered a rebound candidate in 2024.
San Diego was third in the league in total team salary on Opening Day this year with $257 million. It was the most expensive team in franchise history, but underperformance has led to a need to reorganize the roster. With so many expensive long-term contracts, the team needed to streamline its roster and parted ways with big free agents like Snell and Hader early on.
If San Diego is looking to cut costs, it’s inevitable that Kim will be affected. Kim, who is eligible for free agency after next season when his four-year, guaranteed contract with the Dodgers expires, has been so dominant this year that the local media has speculated about a possible extension during the season. However, there has been no word from the San Diego organization.
San Diego general manager A.J. Preller denied the possibility of Soto being traded this winter during his season-ending press conference on May 5, saying, “We’ll hear from Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, in the offseason. He’s a big part of our center field lineup,” and said the team will attempt to negotiate an extension. 스포츠토토
There was no mention of Ha-Sung Kim. If the Padres cut costs and move Soto, they won’t have enough cap space to hold onto Ha Sung Kim. Soto rejected a 15-year, $440 million contract from his former team, the Washington Nationals, last year. On the flip side, if Soto doesn’t get an extension, they could focus on Ha-Sung Kim. It’s inevitable that Soto will be the priority.
If Soto doesn’t get an extension this winter, it won’t be a bad thing for Kim. If he shows value in free agency, his price tag could skyrocket. With San Diego discussing a position move for Xander Bogaerts, it’s likely that Kim will return to shortstop next year. Hwan could significantly increase his value in free agency.