Wow! I didn't see that coming! Ha-Seong Kim IF who has long been assumed to be a free agency fit with the Giants due to positional need and personal ties to Jung Hoo Lee CF agreed to terms with the Rays, of all teams. The deal is for 2 years/$29 M with an opt-out after one season and an additional $2 M in incentives. Kim is coming off a down season that ended early due to an injury to his shoulder that required surgery. It is unclear when Kim will be recovered enough to play. His agent, Scott Boras, suggested he could be ready by April. His former employer, the Padres, said it might be as late as July.
Injury situation aside, Kim is an excellent fit for the Giants even after they signed Willy Adames SS, but if I am sitting in Buster Posey's position, I would not agree to this deal for several reasons. First of all the obvious uncertainty of when he will be able to play and whether it would be a full strength. Secondly, the whole 1 yr/opt out model of contracting which was a hallmark of the FZ regime seemed to contribute to the team's lack of continuity and forward progress from year-to-year. The tea leaves I am reading out of Buster Posey's front office say he is avoiding opt-out contracts like the plague and I am in favor of that stance.
I agree with you on all points. Especially with the injured shoulder as a negative. I know for pitchers, shoulder injuries can be difficult. Given that throwing is a big part of being an infielder, I am glad they gave it a pass. The Giants need to come hot out of the gate to get some juju going. With Kim missing the first month or two, that doesn’t help. Derald Cook
ReplyDeleteSo, what's the deal with the Giants trading a pretty darn good lefty reliever in Taylor Rogers for some 25 year old never will be minor league schlub and 6 million? Are the Giants ownership that hard up for money that they are willing to leave the team with only ONE LHRP in not so sure shot Erik Miller? ......Or are they clearing up some payroll for an OF/IB/DH bat..wait they got jake Lamb for that....
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I wanted Kim for the Giants but still have reservations about the severity of his injury and did not appreciate the opt-out attached to the contract. Buster is not putting up with Boras' shenanigans and I agree with the move. $15 million AAV is a lot even with the opt-out.
ReplyDeleteI am generally a fan of the Farhan opt-out deals. Those are the new 1 year contracts. There are very few bad 1 year deals. However, I also agree this price is a bit rich, and surprised the Rays of all teams signed this deal. I see very little opportunity for upside for them, and probably only made sense for them because it can help them address a key gap.
DeleteI am not a fan of the opt out deals that have qualifying offers attached. For instance, with Snell, the Giants were stuck with the opt-out penalties while the Dodgers got off without them.
DeleteAn insider named Joseph Kim tweeted this: #HSK received a 3+1 year offer from #SFG, but at the time, his camp was seeking a deal of 4 years or more. Entrusting Scott Boras was Kim’s biggest mistake. Choosing an agent like Boras, who is on the decline, caused communication issues as well. If anything, a two-year deal—even with less money—would have been the right move to return to #SD.”
ReplyDeleteI generally take these messages with a grain of salt. Kim's deal with the Rays looks much better for him than anything I would give him if I was a GM, at least until he proves he's fully healthy. So I would say Boras got a pretty good deal for him.
DeleteJoseph Kim (the Tweeter) was on top of the Jung-Hoo Lee signing last year so there might have been some truth to it. If the Boras counter-offer had opt-outs, Buster would not have gone for it and knowing the way Boras works, the only thing on the table was probably a 2 year with an opt-out after one year. If it was $15 million AAV, its a bit too much for a shortstop with a labrum injury.
ReplyDeleteI can see how H-S Kim is not totally happy. Its an additional 3000 miles to Tampa by plane from Korea and Padres games were televised in Korea to showcase Kim. The move to Tampa might disrupt whatever endorsements he makes in Korea.
Interesting that Kim becomes the most expensive player on the Tampa Bay Rays and starts the season on the IL.
ReplyDeleteSince these contracts (usually) include a physical satisfactory to the Team (like Correa for the Giants), TB must know what they are getting.
Perhaps it will only be a month as Boras says, not the 3 or more months which is the outside guess, but no one knows what arm he will bring back to the infield: SS or 2B?
The Rays already are paying $8½M for 2025, $15½M in 2026, for Wander Franco whose future is far murkier than Correa's.
As for Correa, he missed the majority of the second half of 2024 from plantar fasciitis in his right foot, his 2nd 2024 stint on the DL.
Previously he missed more than 2 weeks with a right oblique strain. He did finish strong in the Twins final week.
Altogether he played slightly more than half a season (53%).
He's made over $100M in 3 seasons with Minnesota for fewer than 120 games per season (136, 135, & 86).
Did the Giants dodge a bullet (13-year, $350 million contract)?
It's not clear to me that Correa's injuries since The Physical are at all related to the concern with the fibula fracture and metal plate. Plantar fasciitis is a completely different anatomical structure. Having said that, 13 yr/$350 M is a whole lot of money to commit to someone with a injury history like that and chances are it will be a problem at some point before the end date of that contract. I am sure the medical people who raised the concerns had good reasons.
DeleteThe medical team that administered Correa's physical is a well-respected group so if they raised any sort of medical concerns, their opinion should carry a great deal of weight.
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