Ha-Seong Kim Will Make Padres' Fans Happy With Response About Playing at Petco Park
If San Diego Padres fans were wondering how much Ha-Seong Kim loves playing at Petco Park, he made it clear during his postgame interview on March 31 after beating San Fransisco 13-4.
Sammy Levitt, who hosts the pre and postgame radio show on 97.3 The Fan, set Kim up with the question after he went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and three runs batted in.
"I’ve always loved playing in front of the Padres fans here," Kim said via his interpreter David Lee. "I've loved playing at Petco Park so I wish, not just this season, that I will play in front of Padres fans for years to come."
Kim, 28, can become a free agent at the end of this season if he declines his end of a mutual option for 2025. The last offseason was relatively unkind to free agents, but the 2024-25 free agent class is relatively light on middle infielders. Kim and Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames are the most attractive choices for teams willing to spend to fill a middle infield hole.
San Diego is carrying an estimated luxury-tax payroll of $226 million this season. Jurickson Profar and Kyle Higashioka are due to become free agents at year's end, but their salaries amount to less than $4 million combined. Whether or not the Padres can afford to re-sign Kim is an open question that could linger into the winter.
It's understandable why Kim would be interested in making Petco Park his home for years into the future.
Kim's splits prove just how much he enjoys playing at home compared to the road. This season is a small sample size because the Padres have played the majority of their games at Petco Park but he is batting .275 compared to a terrible .067 on the road.
Ironically, the only season where Kim has performed better in San Diego was his rookie season. He was a .219 hitter in 57 games at Petco Park and a .187 hitter in 60 road games. His other two seasons are reversed but not by a significant amount.
However, there were times during his rookie campaign where Kim didn't feel like he belonged in major leagues.
“There were moments where I was really mentally at the lowest point of my career and I was mentally broken down,” Kim recalled in an interview last summer with The Athletic. “There was a tough stretch where I thought maybe I don’t belong here, so maybe I should go back to Korea.
“But on the other hand, it was only my first year. So let’s challenge myself and see what happens.”
He won a Gold Glove as a utility last season which solidified that he belonged in the league. Then, he faced rumors that he would be traded during the offseason.
It didn't happen.
For now, Kim continues to play in front of the fans he loves, and the clubhouse favorite will be around at least a little while longer. His recent comments ought to encourage hope that he'll be in San Diego a lot longer.