Korean second baseman Hye-Seong Kim will be posted to MLB free agency next winter, the Kiwoom Heroes announced Tuesday.
Kim has played fewer than nine seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization, meaning he is subject to the league's posting system and therefore requires permission from the Heroes to pursue a contract overseas.
"After some internal discussion, we decided to respect the player's wish to play in the majors and offer our full support," the Heroes said in a statement, per Yonhap News Agency.
The infielder is currently 24 years old, but he will be 25 when he hits the open market next offseason.
Kim hit a career-best .335 in 2023, also adding seven home runs, 57 RBI, 25 stolen bases and an .842 OPS. Since debuting in the KBO in 2017, Kim is a .300 hitter with a .753 OPS.
Per 162 games, Kim averages 172 hits, five home runs, 61 RBI and 35 stolen bases.
Kim was a member of Team South Korea at the COVID-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He got 13 at-bats and finished the tournament with eight singles, one stolen base, one RBI and one strikeout.
At the World Baseball Classic last March, Kim went 1-for-2 with three walks, three runs, three RBI and one strikeout.
Baseball America ranked Kim as the No. 9 international prospect at the WBC. For context, new Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto ranked No. 2, new San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee ranked No. 4 and intriguing Cuban free agent pitcher Yariel Rodríguez ranked No. 8.
Kim previously played shortstop for the Heroes back when current San Diego Padres star Ha-Seong Kim was still on Kiwoom's roster, ultimately winning a Gold Glove at the position. Since switching to second base, Hye-Seong Kim has won two more Gold Gloves.
Ha-Seong Kim earned a four-year, $28 million contract from the Padres in late 2020, and he just wrapped up a career year in 2023 with a Gold Glove and some scattered NL MVP votes. That – plus the record-breaking six-year, $113 million deal the Giants gave Lee in December – could end up boosting Hye-Seong Kim's initial market beyond his former teammate's.
Both Kims, ironically, will be free agents next winter.
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