Dodgers: Making the Case for Trading for Ha-Seong Kim from the Padres
The Los Angeles Dodgers were in on all of the top shortstop free agents when free agency was first underway.
Unfortunately, L.A. didn't land any of them due to the amount of money they required and will settle for their infielder Gavin Lux.
However, the Dodgers don't have to go with Lux and could make a trade for a shortstop. L.A. has the assets to make a trade, and president of baseball operations, Andrew Freidman, is known to do most of his damage in February and March.
One trade Freidman could shoot for is Padres infielder and their primary shortstop last season, Ha-Seong Kim.
With Fernando Tatis Jr. coming back in 2023 and their addition of Xander Bogaerts in free agency, the infield looks much more crowded for San Diego.
Padres' insider Dennis Lin says teams have called about Kim and center fielder Trent Grisham, but the Padres have yet to budge.
"Publicly, the Padres have downplayed the possibility. Speaking with The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal last week, Preller acknowledged he had received inquiries on Grisham and Kim. "With the Bogaerts signing, our intention is to play this position group together," Preller added. "We like the flexibility and the versatility it gives our team."
Kim has two years left on his deal and had a solid 2022 campaign. He slashed .251/.325/.383 with a .708 OPS and improved in every single major category from his rookie year in 2021.
Ha-Seong is also a good defender. Compared to his neighbor to his left, Manny Machado, Kim is five feet nine inches tall but uses his entire body to snag every ball that comes his way.
Teammates Machado and former Padre Eric Hosmer had great things to say about Kim and his defense. Hosmer said if the ball comes his way, he'll snatch it more times than not.
"He's the closest thing to sure hands as you can see," Hosmer said of Kim. "If the ball is hit at him, he's going to make the play."
Although Lux's natural position is shortstop, he has yet to play many games at that position with the Dodgers. He's played mostly at second base, and his defense has sometimes been suspect.
On the other hand, Kim spent 131 games at short, played 1092 innings there, and had a fielding percentage of .982.
The 27-year-old would be a solid pickup for L.A., and he wouldn't be expensive at all. He's currently making $7 million, and the Dodgers should pull the trigger on Kim for defensive stability.
One thing is for sure, if the Dodgers engage with the Padres about Kim, they will try to get everything out of L.A.
