Did Kim Ha-sung have a lot of luck? It is not in the market for strong competitors, good news that can exceed $20 million in average annual salary. Trevor Story Declares Remain in Boston

Nov 06, 2025

Did the energy of 'FA jackpot' come to Kim Ha-sung (30).

The game of this winter's stove league seems to flow to Kim Ha-sung's advantage. Kim Ha-sung's own FA value has not been highly evaluated, but there is a possibility that the value will soar depending on the market logic. Above all, there are few people who can compete with Kim Ha-sung in the market.

In the midst of this, another good news was delivered. Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (33), who was expected to be a strong competitor for Kim Ha-sung, is not on the market. Opt-in made the decision to stay in Boston.

MLB.COM, the website of Major League Baseball, reported on the 5th (Korea time) 'Story, which has the right to opt out, decided to maintain the remaining contract of two years to $50 million and remain in Boston instead of exercising its authority' Story signed a six-year - $140 million (about 22.2 billion won) contract with Boston in March 2022.

However, he did not play properly for the first three years after signing the contract due to injury. Then, it wasn't until this year that his physical condition recovered and he played the full-time season for the first time. Story has played in a total of 157 games this year, hitting a batting average of 0.263 (161 hits in 612 at-bats) with 25 home runs and 96 RBIs with an OPS of 0.741.

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Initially, the expectation was that Story, which showed recovery, would declare an opt-out after the season and appear in the FA market. However, Story decided to fulfill his remaining contract in Boston. Story received an annual salary of $25 million (about 36.1 billion won) from 2026 to 2027, and has a $25 million contract as a team option in 2028. The buyout amount is $5 million.

The reason why Story chose to stay in Boston is because of the uncertainty that it is difficult to be properly evaluated even if it goes to the FA market. The strategy is to aim for the FA once again after performing well with a guaranteed amount of $50 million for two years.

Story's stay in Boston is relatively beneficial for Kim Ha-sung. This is because there are no people who can compete with Kim Ha-sung in the stove league FA market this winter. Even if he is about the same age and his defense is slightly inferior to Kim Ha-sung, his excellent offense deserves to be evaluated as an advantage. A shortstop who hits more than 20 home runs in a season and over 90 RBIs can be a fairly attractive option.

However, Kim Ha-sung's value can rise naturally as the story decides not to appear on the market. Currently, the biggest fish in the shortstop FA market is the Toronto Blue Jays' Bobissette. However, Bisset also has an OAA of -13, which is only 1% of the league's bottom. Kim Ha-sung is far ahead in defense. In addition, Kim Ha-sung's value is likely to rise further as even the story has decided not to appear on the market.

Kim Ha-sung gave up his guaranteed salary for the 2026 season of $16 million on the 4th and declared FA. Kim Ha-sung, who signed an FA contract with the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this year for a total of $29 million per year, returned to the big league only in July due to prolonged rehabilitation after shoulder surgery. However, since returning, he has not performed well due to minor injuries, including being on the injured list twice.

In the end, he moved his team to the Atlanta Braves in September due to a waivers claim. In Atlanta, he regained his health for a while, showing a clear recovery from the offense and defense. However, it was not a remarkable performance. As a result, there was a prospect that he could stay in Atlanta.

However, Kim Ha-sung and his agent Scott Boras chose to challenge the FA market for the second time by executing the opt-out.

In response, the U.S. media The Athletic rated Kim Ha-sung 36th overall in the '2025-2026 Top FA Rankings'. It's second only to Bisset (2nd), but not high overall. On the 5th, he evaluated the expected contract size of Kim Ha-sung at '3 years-$50 million (about 72 billion won).' The average annual salary (AAV) is $16.67 million, slightly more than next year's option of $16 million, which Kim Ha-sung gave up.

On the other hand, MLB.COM dealt with the news of Kim Ha-sung's FA declaration on the 4th and gave a positive evaluation that `Kim Ha-sung, who is 30 years old this year, will lead to a multi-year contract with an average annual salary of more than $20 million.' If shortstop's scarcity is highlighted amid mixed evaluations, Kim Ha-sung's ransom is likely to rise significantly.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.