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![[포토] Kiwoom Ha-Sung Kim, the golden gloves certified as the best shortstop!](https://i0.wp.com/image.sportsseoul.com/2020/12/26/news/2020122601001371100094011.jpg?w=560)
[스포츠서울 윤세호기자] Nothing has been proven. Nevertheless, expectations for him are not unusual. Kiwoom Ha-seong Kim (25) is expected to sign the largest contract among shortstop in the ML FA market this winter.
Interest is hot ahead of the contract deadline. The deadline for posting Kim Ha-seong is on the 2nd of next month in Korean time. While the destination is decided within a week, it is known that in addition to Texas and Toronto, which were previously expected to target Kim Ha-seong, St. Louis and Boston are also showing interest in Kim Ha-seong. There are shortstops with brilliant careers such as Diddy Gregorys (30), Marcus Semien (30), Andrelton Simmons (31), but the market value is ahead of them.
In fact, MLB Traderumers.com put Kim Ha-Sung at number 7 in the FA market last month. At the time, Kim Ha-sung was evaluated higher than Gregorious, Semien, and Simmons, and Kim Ha-sung was expected to sign a five-year contract with Texas for $40 million. And the media’s expectation is likely to become reality. The more teams that want to recruit, the higher the price.
In the current big league free agency market, Ha Sung Kim’s greatest value is me. There is no club that won’t covet a shortstop in his mid-20s with a career high every year and excellent airborne. It means that any team is looking forward to Kim Ha-Sung’s best appearance. Even considering the difference in level between ML and KBO leagues, it is a local evaluation that if Kim Ha-sung continues to grow, the world’s best leagues can adapt. Ha-sung Kim participated in 138 games this year, recording 30 homers, 23 steals, and an OPS of 0.920, a personal best in home runs and OPS. In addition to shortstop, third baseman also increased its value. As he served as second baseman in high school, he fits the trend of the big league where multi-positions are the mainstream.
Ryu Hyun-jin (33, Toronto) was the player who signed the biggest contract when advancing to the big leagues in previous KBO leagues. Ryu Hyun-jin signed a six-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $36 million in December 2012. In addition, the Dodgers invested about 25 million dollars in posting fees before signing with Ryu Hyun-jin. After Ryu Hyun-jin, many KBO league stars crossed the Pacific Ocean, but there was no case of signing a long-term contract like Ryu Hyun-jin. Most of them signed contracts for about two years, and Park Byeong-ho and Yoon Seok-min made a U-turn to the KBO League without completing the contract period.
On the other hand, Kim Ha-sung, like Ryu Hyun-jin, is evaluated as a positive factor because he is 25 years old when he advances to the big leagues, and that he is about to heyday. The big league free agent market is moving slowly, but within a week, Kim Ha-sung is expected to sign a total of over $40 million for the first time since James McCann.