Cubs Among Teams Making Offers to Korean IF Hyeseong Kim

Update: Womp, womp. The Dodgers have reportedly reached an agreement with Kim on a three-year deal. I may update again with the financials when that information comes out, but the initial information looks like the deal is for $12.5 million guaranteed with an option for two additional years.

According to a report out of South Korea, the Cubs are one of five teams that have made contract offers to 26-year-old (on January 27) second baseman Hyeseong Kim (no relation to Ha-Seong Kim, though they were teammates at one point). Ranked as the No. 26 overall free agent this winter by MLB Trade Rumors, Kim recently concluded a very good KBO season in which he slashed .326/.383/.458 with 11 home runs. A lefty batter who is also capable of handling second and third in addition to a little emergency outfield work, Kim essentially fills the same role as Josh Rojas, who opted to sign on the South Side.

Other teams bidding on Kim include the Mariners, Angels, Dodgers, and Padres, with offers reportedly coming in lower than expected. MLBTR had him getting a three-year, $24 million deal while Kiley McDaniel of ESPN put the price at $16.5 million over the same time. The KBO in English X account relayed that Kim is still expected to join an MLB team even though the going rate of the offers is “perhaps closer to $10 million.”

Even the high end of the estimates seems like a solid bargain, but getting Kim at $3-4 million AAV looks like a steal. The question is whether the Cubs are able to present enough additional value to win out over a group of West Coast clubs. Unless the plan is to trade Nico Hoerner, being unable to guarantee an everyday role might not be the strongest sales pitch. In all likelihood, that’s why Rojas joined the White Sox.

Kim’s posting window closes at 5pm ET on Friday, so we’ll learn his fate fairly soon. He doesn’t have to actually sign the deal or even be stateside by that deadline, but an agreement must be reached.