The San Diego Padres have added another big name to this off-season by signing a deal with Korean star Ha-seong Kim, according to ESPN and several reports.
25-year-old Kim became one of the best infielders on the market when he was broadcast earlier this month by the Kiwoom Heroes, his team in the Korea Baseball Organization.
Multiple media outlets reported early Monday that Kim was traveling to the United States before the January 1 deadline for MLB teams to sign registered KBO players. San Diego already made headlines on Sunday night by acquiring left-handed star Blake Snell in a successful deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The versatile Kim mainly played shortstop and third base in the KBO, and it’s unclear where he would play with the Padres, already superstars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado are on shortstop and third base, respectively.
Righthanded Hitter Kim hit .306 with 30 home runs, 109 RBIs, 111 runs scored and 23 stolen bases last season with Kiwoom.