SF Giants reportedly 'most interested' in this free agent shortstop

The SF Giants are going to be connected to free agent shortstop Ha-Seong Kim a lot this offseason. That is why it comes as no surprise that the Giants are reportedly the team most interested in landing Kim in free agency.

This reporting comes via Mark Feinsand of MLB.com who wrote about how Kim makes sense as a Giants target.

SF Giants reportedly very interested in Ha-Seong Kim

Really, Kim is a lot like Matt Chapman last offseason in that it just makes too much sense for him to be a Giant. With Chapman, he was a player with ties to the Bay Area who had played under manager Bob Melvin in the past and filled a hole at third base.

With Kim, he also played under Melvin when he was the manager of the San Diego Padres. Plus, he is friends with Jung Hoo Lee who was teammates with Kim in Korea. Kim also recently switched agents to Scott Boras, the same agent who represents Chapman and Lee.

Even beyond the personal connections, Kim fits the profile of what the Giants need in a shortstop. He is solid defensively, has plus speed, and is pretty solid with the bat even if he is not a huge power threat.

Buster Posey and Bob Melvin have spoken about how they want the team to be stronger defensively and able to score runs in different ways in 2025. Kim helps them in both regards.

The big question mark with Kim is how he is going to recover from his shoulder injury he suffered last season. He underwent surgery to repair a tear in his labrum and there is some speculation that he may not be ready for Opening Day 2025.

Obviously, the Giants will take that into account when thinking about Kim. If he is able to pass a physical, which is no guarantee when you sign a contract with the Giants, then they should have a decent amount of confidence that he will be able to play most of 2025 for them.

With Posey now in charge, I doubt that signing Kim would be a long, drawn out process the way it was with Chapman that resulted in a weird 3-year deal with opt-outs after the first two years. The Giants appear determined to hand out longer-term deals going forward, and Kim seems like a reasonable candidate to give a 3-to-5-year contract.

We are going to hear a lot more connecting Kim and the Giants this offseason, so the fact that the Giants are reportedly very interested in him should come as no surprise.