Ha-Seong Kim returned to Atlanta after signing a $20MM contract to remain the club’s starter. He took a one-year contract that will allow him to return to free agency after what he hopes will be a healthy season. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported last night that Kim turned down multi-year offers.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that the A’s have proposed a four-year, $48MM deal. It’s unclear if that would have included any possibility of an exit, though it seems safe to assume they wouldn’t risk the four-year commitment that allowed him to exit after one season. The A’s have a franchise shortstop Jacob Wilson but they want second and/or third base support.
Kim bet himself on a one-year contract at a high price. Gleyber Torres accept a suitable gift, while Jorge Polanco he commanded $20MM per year on a two-year contract from the Mets. OA certainly won’t sign Bo Bichette or Alex Bregman for contracts north of $150MM. Rosenthal writes that NPB stars Munetaka Murakami again Kazuma Okamoto they are also expected to be out of their price range. Eugenio Suarez it may be a long time, as he ordered the same annual salary for Kim and Polanco in two or three years.
There is a big drop since then in free work. Willi Castro, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Yoan Moncada, Luis Rengifo and a KBO fighter Song of Sung-mun they are all one-year contract candidates. Song and Castro are probably the best bets to command a multi-year contract. The former at least comes with a flurry of upside after back-to-back strong seasons in Korea, but scouting reports raise questions about his pure hitting ability. Song’s market has been quiet publicly, but he will either need to sign Sunday or stay with the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes for the ’26 season.
The second base of the commercial market has received more attention. Ketel Marte again Brendan Donovan awards, but the A’s are not a good match in any case. Marte’s six-year, $102.5MM contract is well below market value but could be the largest in A’s history. Donovan is affordable for any team, but the Cardinals prioritize a manageable starting lineup. The A’s have several talented arms (eg Luis Morales, Jacob Lopez, Braden Nett) that can attract St. Louis, but the lack of rotation depth is already the biggest flaw of the roster.
The Rays are open to offers Brandon Lowewho will make $11.5MM in the final year of his contract. Rosenthal writes that Tampa Bay is not interested in accepting a lowball offer just to shed salary. President of baseball operations Erik Neander said at the Winter Meetings that the Rays would be happy to carry Lowe and Yandy Diaz during the period. The Mets are buying Jeff McNeilbut they will likely need to eat half of the remaining $17.75MM in his deal. Free agents are coming Nico Hoerner again Jazz Chisholm Jr. have gone public with trade rumors however it appears they may be moving.
Speaking of speculation, Jake Cronenworth would be a possible fit. The Padres owe him $12MM annually through 2030. That’s one year longer than the A’s were willing to keep Kim but it’s similar to the average year they offered over four. Being willing to spend $12MM per season on Kim doesn’t mean they’ll do the same for Cronenworth, who is a great hitter but not a great defender. Still, the Padres have looked for ways to clear cap space to free up money for their rotation needs, so it would make sense for teams to explore trade options.
