The Yankees’ defensive blunder in Game 5 of the World Series. It doesn’t take a genius to realize they lack discipline on defense. Ha-Seung Kim, a gold glove winner, just became available. If the Yankees act, they get a legitimate infielder who is solid defensively. He just fits the Yankees' needs to a tee.
The Yankees are terrible defensively. This is their chance to acquire an affordable option defensively. 120 million over four to five years is more than affordable for a franchise desperately needing a defensive upgrade. And a gold glove infielder is one giant upgrade.
There are some risks, of course. Kim would not be ready until early one-third of the season or probably even half of the next season due to having shoulder surgery from an injury he suffered on August 18th, 2024, against the Colorado Rockies.
Currently, the team most notably interested in signing him is the Toronto Blue Jays, who could use a little help in the infield. Though having an off year, Ha-Seung Kim is a reliable infielder who can play shortstop and second base. He is good at both.
If the Yankees acquire him, they solve several problems. First, they upgrade the infield offensively. Second, they don’t need to spend a whole lot of cash on his services. Third, they upgrade in the base steal department. They may even sign him lower than his actual worth because he will be coming off an injury season.
Ha-Seung Kim recently opted out of his contract. Though it may break a couple of people’s hearts to see him go, it may be far-fetched to imagine that he will be wearing a Padre uniform in 2025. Choosing to exercise the free agent market is the best option for him because there are plenty of teams out there, including the New York Yankees, who could use his defensive prowess in the infield.
In 2023, Ha-Seung Kim had his best year batting. 260 with 17 homers, 60 RBIs, and stole 38 bases. These are the kinds of numbers he is capable of putting on when healthy. He was one of the top players with the highest WAR in the National League in 2023. This indicates that at his best and when healthy, he is one of the best players in the league.
He also serves as a rally starter. I find it very difficult to imagine that with Kim healthy against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres would have lost in that kind of fashion, being held to 33 scoreless innings like that. I could be wrong, but things would have been a little different. Imagine for a moment that it was Kim handing that ball to Jazz. Do you think it would have gone differently for the Yankees in the 5th inning? I think so. Kim would have thrown that ball to first base, knowing the runner would block a clear pass to the third baseman. There would have been one out rather than no outs. The next two hitters struck out, and it would have ended the inning. Of course, it’s all speculation. But just imagine if a gold glove infielder in the same league as Kim had handled that. The Dodgers may not have rallied to win the game.
The Yankees need help in many categories, and Ha-Seung Kim is best fitted with the team in retrospect to its overall needs. If they don’t sign him, a 5-run unearned inning against them in the World Series once again is highly plausible.
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