Reports have emerged suggesting the possibility of San Diego Padres’ Ha-Seong Kim being traded.
The U.S. media outlet The Athletic reported on the 17th (local time), “The San Diego Padres are expected to reduce the team’s total salary to less than $200 million (approximately 260.6 billion won), and infielder Kim Ha-seong is mentioned as a trade candidate.”
It continued, “The San Diego Padres have many high-salary players. However, they have failed to achieve clear results, such as missing the postseason this year, and financial issues have also arisen. As a result, the San Diego Padres borrowed $50 million (approximately 65.2 billion won) in September to address short-term cash flow problems. The financial situation is not good.”
Kim Ha-seong signed a 4+1 year contract with the San Diego Padres in 2021 for a maximum of $39 million. If the San Diego Padres have no intention of retaining Kim Ha-seong and he becomes a free agent (FA) after the 2024 season, trading him before the end of the contract period could be a way for the San Diego Padres to gain financial benefits.
Earlier, Kim Ha-seong filed a police complaint against fellow baseball player Lim Hye-dong, who was his teammate in Korea, on charges of coercion and attempted coercion.
Kim claimed, “Two years ago, I fought with Lim at a bar in Gangnam, Seoul, after which he demanded a settlement payment. Lim is lying. Even after receiving a large settlement, he continued to demand money.”
On the other hand, Lim argued, “I was assaulted for no reason. I indeed received a settlement. However, I became aware of circumstances that broke our confidentiality agreement, and I am claiming a penalty for breach of contract.”
Meanwhile, the police have been continuing their investigation, calling in people around Kim for questioning as witnesses, after interviewing Kim as the complainant on the 6th.
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