Kim Hye-seong posted to MLB and available as free agent

Kim Hye-seong has officially started his posting procedures for the Major League. KBO League's Kiwoom Heroes announced on Wednesday that they had posted Kim Hye-seong. The Korean Baseball Organization immediately informed the Major League Secretariat that he was posted. The posting period will be 30 days, from 10 p.m. this Thursday until 7 a.m. on Jan. 4, during which he may negotiate with any of the 30 MLB teams to join this offseason.

MLB.com immediately reported the news on the posting of the KBO infielder, saying that he recorded a BA of 0.304 and an OBP of 0.364 over his 8-year career in Kiwoom with more than 20 stolen bases for seven seasons running, including the 2021 season when he recorded as many as 46 stolen bases. “He is also a strong defender up the middle, as he has won a KBO Golden Glove at second in 2022 and '23. He won the same award at shortstop in '21,” it said. Kim became the first KBO player to win Golden Gloves at both second and shortstop.

The Seattle Mariners in the American League’s Western Division is currently mentioned as one of the most likely destinations for Kim. MLB.com wrote that Seattle has shown a constant interest in Kim, adding, “Seattle second basemen recorded a .209 average, .658 OPS, and 27.1% strikeout rate in 2024. Kim has a 16.3% K rate through 3,819 plate appearances in the KBO.” Boston and San Francisco are also among those interested in Kim. MLBTradeRumors.com projected that Kim would be worth 24 million dollars for three years.

Kim left for Los Angeles last Friday to start training programs in training facilities arranged by his agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which works with Japanese MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani.


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com