It's a pride-busting sound, but it's irrefutable FA Kim Ha-sung's value that fell to the floor, regressed all sides, and a one-year contract is appropriate

Nov 08, 2025

It's a pride-busting sound, but it's irrefutable FA Kim Ha-sung's value that fell to the floor, regressed all sides, and a one-year contract is appropriate



It's a pride-busting sound, but it's irrefutable FA Kim Ha-sung's value that fell to the floor, regressed all sides, and a one-year contract is appropriate
'FA with question marks, a one-year contract is appropriate.'

How will Kim Ha-sung's bold challenge lead to an end. Thanks to the low number of shortstop resources on the market, the situation is likely to turn favorable, but in reality, it is not. The logic is that no matter how precious goods are in the market, they cannot buy 'defective products' at a high price. The local media gave a harsh evaluation of Kim Ha-sung. It is an evaluation that can destroy Kim Ha-sung's pride.

ESPN, a global sports media outlet, announced on the 7th (Korea time) '2025 FA Ranking 50'. Kim Ha-sung's position on the list was only 46th. This means that it has virtually the lowest level of value among players who have declared FA. ESPN is raising strong questions about Kim Ha-sung's potential value. This is because the shoulder surgery last year, the process of returning afterwards, and the ability shown after the return did not meet expectations.




It's a pride-busting sound, but it's irrefutable FA Kim Ha-sung's value that fell to the floor, regressed all sides, and a one-year contract is appropriate
ESPN said of Kim Ha-sung "Regenerate in every way." gave a dismal evaluation.

The media outlet said, "'Kim Ha-sung, who had the worst season in the big leagues this year, rejected the $16 million player option and came to the FA market"Kim Ha-sung, who played a total of 48 games for Tampa Bay and Atlanta after shoulder surgery, regressed in every way. The back injury overlapped, and the speed of the throw did not recover before shoulder surgery. Basically, 2025 is the same as the 'lost season' for Kim Ha-sung.

In a word, it is like 'FA declaration is misjudgment'. Kim Ha-sung ended the season early last year after undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury during the San Diego Padres. Since then, he has waived his guaranteed option with San Diego and declared FA.




It was a bold attempt at his injury history and rehabilitation schedule. Fortunately, he was able to sign a two-year (1+1)-29 million-dollar contract with Tampa Bay earlier this year. However, rehabilitation was delayed than expected. Kim Ha-sung was only able to return to the Major League in July due to a hamstring injury during a minor league rehabilitation game. It was his first return in 11 months since his injury in August last year.

It's a pride-busting sound, but it's irrefutable FA Kim Ha-sung's value that fell to the floor, regressed all sides, and a one-year contract is appropriate
It's a pride-busting sound, but it's irrefutable FA Kim Ha-sung's value that fell to the floor, regressed all sides, and a one-year contract is appropriate
However, Kim Ha-sung's performance since his return was disappointing itself. Due to the failure to fully recover his physical condition, injuries to his back and calf continued to occur. I ended up on the injured list (IL) twice. He played 24 games for Tampa Bay, but only batted 0.214 (18 for 84).

Tampa Bay quickly cut off Kim Ha-sung. In September, he declared FA failure by disclosing it on waivers. Then Atlanta, looking for shortstop resources with attacking power, quickly took Kim Ha-sung.




Kim Ha-sung showed a relatively good performance in Atlanta, but this is also not enough to evaluate 'Well done'. He hit .253 (22 hits in 87 at-bats) with three home runs and 12 RBIs and an OPS of 0.684 in 24 games. If you look at the figures, you can roughly grasp what kind of performance they performed. Kim Ha-sung in 2025 was far from the level of the 2023 National League utility Gold Glove winner.

However, Kim Ha-sung seems to have seen these indicators work in the market. He believed that some of his healthy appearances could raise his self-evaluation. In the end, he declared an opt-out on the 4th, shaking off the $16 million guaranteed salary.

However, local evaluations of 'FA Kim Ha-sung' are getting colder.

It's a pride-busting sound, but it's irrefutable FA Kim Ha-sung's value that fell to the floor, regressed all sides, and a one-year contract is appropriate
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Shortly after Kim Ha-sung declared FA, MLB.COM made 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.' However, critical evaluations are gaining popularity as time goes by. ESPN analyzed that `Kim Ha-sung needs imagination to become a player who can increase his winning contribution (WAR) of 2 or more compared to replacement players next season' and"It seems appropriate to sign a one-year contract and prove it again under similar conditions to player options.' In a word, Kim Ha-sung means a lottery with a lot of question marks. It is evaluated that it is appropriate to take it as a one-year test.

Another global media outlet, The Athletic, is similar to this. Keith Law, a famous columnist on the media, said, "'Kim Ha-sung was very sluggish during his time in Tampa Bay, and he was normal in Atlanta. Not only offense but also defense was below average. There are even concerns that the current level has become a new average level, saying that the throwing intensity has weakened due to the shoulder injury. Therefore, it is impossible to sign a contract for more than a year (as an FA). There will be no club to offer more than $16 million that Kim Ha-sung gave up.

All of them are evaluations that Kim Ha-sung's pride will collapse. Attention is focusing on how the market's direct evaluation will be made.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.