The Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO have made second baseman Hyeseong Kim available to any MLB team after the 25-year-old was released on Wednesday.
Kim is the first player from South Korea and Japan to be drafted this offseason. Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki is expected to be released sometime this winter.
Last week, before news of his posting, Kim traveled to Los Angeles to begin training.
Kim would be the fifth Heroes player to sign with an MLB team, following Kang Jung-ho (Pittsburgh Pirates), Park Byung-ho (Minnesota Twins), Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres) and Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants).
How does the submission process work?
Every MLB team is able to come to an agreement with Kim on Thursday at 8 a.m. ET. The teams have 30 days to work out a deal, with the negotiating period ending on January 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM ET.
The Heroes will receive a fee if Kim signs with an MLB team before the end of the negotiating period. The total amount earned by the KBO team will be determined by the guaranteed amount in Kim’s contract.
According to Jee-ho Yoo of Yonhap News, KBO teams receive a fee of 20% of the first $25 million of the contract and 17.5% of the total exceeding the next $25 million. If the contract is worth more than $50 million, the KBO team will receive 20% of the first $25 million, 17.5% of the next $25 million, plus 15% of the total over $50 million.
If Kim does not sign with an MLB team, he will return to the Heroes and cannot be reassigned until after November 1, 2025.
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How good is Kim?
Kim, a left-handed hitter, is coming off a career season with the Heroes, hitting 11 home runs, driving in 75 runs, stealing 30 bases and posting a .326 batting average. It was the fourth straight season he hit over .300 and the seventh straight season with at least 20 stolen bases.
Over his eight-season career, Kim slashed .304/.364/.403 with 386 RBI over 953 games. His 211 steals since 2018 are the most among any KBO player during that span.
Defensively, he is a three-time KBO Fielding Award winner. He won the award for the first time in 2021 at shortstop and then again in 2022 and 2023 at second base.
Which MLB teams are interested?
The Seattle Mariners are reportedly eager to land Kim. Other spots could include the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said during spring training that the team’s scouts liked Kim.