The Pittsburgh Pirates found a great market inefficiency with the signing of Jung Ho Kang. Could they be on the trail of another solid Korean position player?
Rumors are floating about that the Pittsburgh Pirates have made an offer on 27 year-old Korean outfielder Hyun-Soo Kim.
Kim, who bats left but throws right, boasts a .318/.406/.488 slash line in 10 seasons with the KBO Doosan Bears. In 2015 he posted 28 home runs, his career best, ranking seventh among KBO sluggers. Below you will see his recent career stats through the last five seasons:
MLB Trade Rumors reports that the Orioles has extended Kim a two-year offer could guarantee him up to $4 million a season, but it appears that other clubs are also showing serious interest including the Pirates and Padres. Other outlets peg Baltimore’s offer at about $6-8 million per year.
Interestingly enough, Korean media also reports that the A’s and Braves have also scouted Kim heavily. It is also reported that Kim is being courted heavily by KBO teams in his native country.
At the conclusion of the 2015 season in the KBO, Kim, who has nine years with the KBO, became an unrestricted free-agent, making him eligible to play baseball for any league in the world without teams being forced to first pay a posting fee for the rights to negotiate with him, as was the case with the Pirates’ Jung Ho Kang and Twins’ Byung-Ho Park. Korean News Agency Yonhap reported that Kim is very interested in the challenge playing on the MLB level presents.
Kim is a predominate left-fielder for the Bears, but he also has experience at first base, which makes him an interesting option for the Pirates as the market for first baseman continues to dwindle in MLB. Kim also makes a nice fit on the Bucs given their success at not only bringing Kang up to speed on MLB play but also helping him acclimate to American culture.
Kim’s agent, Esther Lee of the Leeco Sports Agency, is said to have attended the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Yonhap also reported.
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