The Tampa Bay Rays made a splash as Spring Training is steadfast approaching. Tampa Bay locked up an infielder who’d spent quite a lot of time on the market, despite being a former Gold Glover.
On Monday, the Rays signed former San Diego Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim to a two-year deal.
The Rays picked up the former Gold Glove Award winner, who hung around in free agency for the last few months.
The deal is worth $39 million according to the AP.
Kim collected 94 hits during the 2024 MLB season with the Padres. He hit .233 with an OPS of .700, his lowest marks since his rookie season in 2021. He made up for it on defense, as he is to do, which made him attractive enough to the Rays to help shore up the middle infield.
Kim’s best season came in 2023, when he won a Gold Glove for his efforts on defense. He hit .260 with an OPS of .749 with 17 home runs, 23 doubles, and 60 RBI with 38 stolen bases.
The Rays hope Kim can return to his 2023 form and help them climb the ladder back up in the American League East Division. The rest of the AL East has stormed by the Rays in recent years. After Tampa Bay enjoyed prominence for several years, the Rays are back to looking up in the standings.
They’ll still play in one of the league’s most competitive divisions, but they helped themselves out before they begin Spring Training later this month.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022