"Kim Ha-sung may play at second and third base" Tampa Bay's big picture, "best prospect" will not interfere with Williams" top priority
"Kim Ha-sung may play at second and third base" Tampa Bay's big picture, "best prospect" will not interfere with Williams" top priority
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Up to 31 million dollars (45.1 billion won) for two years.
Although Kim Ha-sung (30, Tampa Bay Rays) is somewhat far from the expected FA (free agent) jackpot, it was the best choice in a situation where there are many concerns about the aftereffects of the surgery. On the contrary, it was also an unexpected overpayment for Tampa Bay, a representative small market.
There were also many reactions that it was unexpected. There were many teams that wanted Kim Ha-sung, but Tampa Bay was never mentioned and the size of the contract far exceeded expectations.
Tampa Bay seems to have had a firm reason. Local media show that beyond just reinforcing defense and making up for its lack of offensive power through the best infield resources in the Major League, Tampa Bay had more calculations than that.
Mark Topkin, a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, a Tampa Bay local media outlet, published an analysis article titled "Why did Race sign a $29 million contract for Kim Ha-sung?" on the 6th (Korea Standard Time).
Kim Ha-sung became the highest-paid player in Tampa Bay, and Tampa Bay's cost of recruiting Kim Ha-sung was reinforced on an unusual scale, ranking second in all the club's FA recruitment players.
Topkin said, "It is rare to recruit a player of that value on a short-term contract, but Rays' contract has reasons other than advantages in his stadium." If Kim Ha-sung, who completed shoulder surgery, returns successfully and plays an active role, he is likely to trigger an opt-out and re-challenge the FA. The club is likely to win the draft by proposing a qualifying offer (QO). For Tampa Bay, which has no home, it can be seen as a business that has nothing to lose by using Kim Ha-sung for a year, spending $13 million (up to $15 million) and earning draft picks between the first and second rounds.
He also said he could use the trade to pursue the future. It is a good idea for both Kim Ha-sung and Tampa Bay.
It does not stop there. The U.S. Bleacher Report gave an outlook on Tampa Bay's present and future in an article on the MLB's five-year plan for shortstops on Tuesday.
"Race signed a two-year, $29 million contract with Kim Ha-sung, and Kim Ha-sung will be the highest-paid player in the team in 2025," the media said. "However, he is not expected to be ready to play in the opening game after undergoing shoulder surgery in October last year. His versatility means that he will not get in the way of Carson Williams (22), a top prospect when he is ready, because he also has experience in taking charge of second and third basemen at a high level."
If Kim Ha-sung returns, it will certainly be of great help to the team, but it will not be an obstacle to the growth of Williams, who Tampa Bay has marked as a future shortstop. This means that if Williams is fully prepared, he will use Kim Ha-sung in other positions such as second baseman.
Williams is a promising player who wore the Tampa Bay uniform in the first round of the 2021 rookie draft. With high expectations, she joined the U.S. national baseball team at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 after the end of last year's season.
"Williams is the best shortstop prospect with an OPS of 0.821 last season with 20 homers, 20 doubles, 69 RBIs and 33 stolen bases in 115 games in Double-A," Blitzer Report said. "The 21-year-old is rated 60 (maximum 80) and is widely considered the best defensive shortstop in the minor leagues. As a result, he has become a potential future star and can join the Tampa Bay team at some point in the 2025 season."
This is also an interpretation that Tampa Bay also knows that the future with Kim Ha-sung, who signed a two-year contract, cannot last forever. 바카라 If the performance is as good as expected in 2025, Kim Ha-sung is likely to come back to the market as an FA. Although Tampa Bay has invested a lot of money, it can be interpreted that Williams made a bold investment to buy time for him to establish himself in the first team rather than looking into the far future with Kim Ha-sung.