The KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes have made second baseman Hyeseong Kim available for contract by any MLB team after placing the 25-year-old on Wednesday.
Kim is the first player from Korea and Japan to be drafted this offseason. Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki is expected to be inducted sometime this winter.
Last week, prior to news of his post, Kim traveled to Los Angeles to start training.
Kim would be the fifth player from the Heroes to sign with an MLB team, following Kang Jung-ho (Pittsburgh Pirates), Park Byung-ho (Minnesota Twins), Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres) and Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants).
How does the booking process work?
Any MLB team can negotiate a deal with Kim on Thursday at 8 a.m. ET. Teams have 30 days to reach a deal, with the negotiation period ending on January 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM ET.
The Heroes will receive compensation if Kim signs with an MLB team before the end of the negotiation period. The total amount the KBO team receives is determined by the guaranteed amount in Kim’s contract.
According to Jee-ho Yoo of Yonhap News, KBO teams will receive compensation of 20% of the first $25 million of the contract and 17.5% of the total above the next $25 million. If the contract is worth more than $50 million, the KBO team will receive 20% of the first $25 million, 17.5% of the next $25 million, plus 15% of the total above $50 million.
If Kim does not sign with an MLB team, he will return to the Heroes and cannot be reinstated until after November 1, 2025.
How good is Kim?
Kim, a left-handed hitter, is coming off a career season with the Heroes, where he hit 11 home runs, drove in 75 runs, stole 30 bases and posted a .326 batting average. It was the fourth straight season he hit over .300 and the seventh straight season with at least 20 stolen bases.
Over his eight-season career, Kim has slashed .304/.364/.403 with 386 RBI in 953 games. His 211 steals since 2018 are the most of any KBO player during that span.
Defensively, he is a three-time winner of the KBO Fielding Award. He won the award first in 2021 as a shortstop and then again in 2022 and 2023 at second base.
Which MLB teams are interested?
The Seattle Mariners would love to land Kim. Other spots include the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said during spring training that the team’s scouts liked Kim.
