by STEVE HAN
South Korea’s star pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun is on the brink of becoming his country’s next major leaguer after his current team, the SK Wyverns, accepted a $2 million offer from the San Diego Padres for the rights to negotiate with the left-hander on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the Padres had won the silent auction among ballclubs in the major leagues for Kim. The 26-year-old is eligible for conditional free agency this winter, similar to the case of Hyun-Jin Ryu, who joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012 through a $25.7 million posting fee, which was paid to his then team, the Hanwha Eagles. It has been widely reported that the Wyverns were incredibly disappointed that the bid for Kim, who was once considered Ryu’s biggest rival in Korea, was significantly lower. However, the team has chosen to accept the offer to “support Kim’s dreams,” said Wyverns general manager Min Kyeong-sam.
“I’m very grateful that the Wyvern’s front office and the owner accepted the Padres offer,” said Kim, who has won three Korean Series titles with an 83-49 record and a 3.30 ERA over his eight-year career in the Korea Baseball Organization. “Now I want to commit myself to an adventurous challenge by starting from the bottom and working my way up in the major leagues.”
The Padres now have a 30-day window to agree on a contract with Kim. If no deal is reached, the $2 million fee will not be paid and the Wyverns will retain Kim until after the 2016 season. Kim, whose current annual salary is at around $250,000, is represented by Melvin Roman of Puerto Rico-based MDR Sports Management, the agent of St. Louis Cardinals star catcher Yadier Molina and Padres’ catcher Rene Rivera, who could potentially be Kim’s battery mate in San Diego next year.
“Obviously, we would have liked it more if the posting fee was higher,” said Min, the Wyverns general manager. “But our mission was to help our player to pursue his dream. I had lunch with [Kim] Kwang-hyun this afternoon and realized how much he wanted to go to the major leagues. So our biggest concern wasn’t whether or not we felt like the Padres’ offer was enough. It was more about whether or not Kwang-hyun was at peace with the offer that was made.”
Kim has mentioned repeatedly that he would settle for any role, including pitching as a middle reliever, to achieve his lifelong dream of playing in the major leagues, but added that he prefers to start. The Padres currently boasts a solid pitching staff both in their starting rotation and the bullpen as it was second in overall team ERA (3.27) and first in ERA among relievers (2.73) in the National League.
“I’m not sure what kind of role the Padres have in mind for me,” Kim said. “What’s important is that I want to eventually be on the mound as a starter. I know that I’ll have to earn that role with my skills. Next year, I’m going to show at Petco Park in San Diego that all the doubts on me now aren’t much to worry about. That will be my No. 1 responsibility.”
The Padres’ interest in Kim are likely due to two main reasons. Even though their current pitching staff was one of the best in the major leagues last season, the Padres are in desperate need of adding more firepower to their offensive bats, which ranked dead last in team batting average last year in the major leagues. Bringing in a quality offensive player via a trade may require the Padres to give up at least one of their established pitchers, in which case, Kim could step in as a replacement for the departing player.
Also, Padres’ second-year general manager A.J. Preller has been actively expanding the team’s focus on utilizing the international market. One of Preller’s priorities is to sign international players, especially after the success of Cuban pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne last year. Aside from Kim, the Padres are also in the running to sign Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas this winter.
Featured image courtesy of Wstar news
