The San Diego Padres are heading into the 2024 season with many question marks. After a ton of hope in the last few seasons, it has all died down as we approach the new year.
Although the Padres still have a few star players, they also have some emerging players who are looking to take an even more giant leap in 2024. One of those players happens to be their four-year veteran and utility star, Ha-Seong Kim. Kim is coming off the best season of his career in 2023 and is looking to continue building upon it.
He was great at the plate and on defense, giving them a consistent presence throughout the year. According to San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee, the team is trying to re-sign him and move him to be the permanent shortstop.
Merrill may yet be the Padres’ shortstop of the future, as Bogaerts transitions sooner or later to the right side of the field. Then again, the team plans to try to extend Ha-Seong Kim and could make him its permanent shortstop.
According to Sportrac, Kim is on a four-year deal worth $28 million. He is set to be a free agent in 2026 at the age of 30.
The 28-year-old has emerged as one of the top players on San Diego's roster. Last season, he hit .260 with 17 home runs and 60 runs batted in over 152 games.
He's improved year after year and is a must-keep for the Friars. However, president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller spoke to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, saying that he's keeping his Kim cards close to his vest.
“I’m not going to go into any real details,” Preller said. “We’ve made it known to Ha-Seong that we value him. He understands that. Ultimately, it’s hard to line up on some of these things. How that all plays out over the course of the next few months, that’ll be between us and Ha-Seong and his representatives.”
Preller and the Padres clearly view Kim as a top priority, and rightfully so.
Their current shortstop, Xander Bogaerts, will move to the right side of the field any minute, and their 2023 No. 2 prospect, Jackson Merrill, isn't quite ready for the big leagues.
It will be on Kim to reach another level and prove to the front office he deserves to stay with the team.
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