The Miami Marlins’ choice was not Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres). In order to acquire American League batting champion Luis Araes (26), he risked bleeding by giving up three men to the Minnesota Twins.
On the 21st (Korean time), the Major League homepage 메이저놀이터 MLB.com said, “Minnesota gave up Araes, the ‘contact king’ loved by fans, to Miami, and right-hander Pablo Lopez (27), infielder prospect Jose Salas (20), and outfielder prospect Byron Chorio ( 18) received’.
Lopez is a pitcher mentioned as a trade card with Kim Ha-seong. San Diego needs to reinforce the mound, so it continues to think about using Kim Ha-seong as a trade card. Lopez is a decent starting pitcher who recorded 10 wins, 180 innings, and an ERA of 3.75 in 32 games last year.
Miami succeeded in acquiring Araes instead of Kim Ha-seong, who has strength in defense, with the Lopez card. Araes is the league’s best alternating hitter, ranking first in the American League last year with a batting average of 0.316 (173 hits in 547 at-bats). He is so good at hitting that he recorded a career batting average of 0.314 (444 hits in 1413 at-bats) in four big league seasons.
Miami made the trade by giving Lopez two top prospects on the team. Salas is the fifth-best prospect on the Miami team, and Chorio is a young player with endless potential at only 18 years old.
MLB.com said, “Minnesota has gained another experienced pitcher in Lopez, even in a situation where the starting rotation depth is already thick. There’s also the risk of injury, and the Minnesota frontman is still working on improving pitching depth. It shows how much trouble the injury has troubled Minnesota in 2022,” he explained.
The American press predicts that San Diego will definitely use Kim Ha-sung as a trade card. Even if it is not resolved within this winter, there is an expectation that the trade will be pursued during the season. Recruiting top shortstop Zander Bogarts (31) in the free agent market was a big factor. When Fernando Tatis Jr. (24), the existing main shortstop, returns to the field in May this year after being suspended for 80 games for taking a banned substance, Ha-seong Kim’s position is expected to narrow further.
Kim Ha-seong was named as a finalist for the National League Gold Glove shortstop last year, proving his defensive power sufficiently. The batting that struggled in the first year of the major league challenge in 2021 is evaluated to have been supplemented to some extent last year. He had a batting average of .251 (130 hits in 517 at-bats), 11 home runs, and 59 RBIs in 150 games. The LA Dodgers and Miami, which had been mentioned as candidates for the trade destination, made a different choice than Ha-sung Kim, but it is still unknown when and how San Diego will move.