Hyeseong Kim, a second baseman who plays for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization, has hired CAA Baseball to represent him ahead of his expected posting this offseason for MLB teams' consideration, according to Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency.
For those new to the jargon, the posting system is essentially MLB's transfer portal. Players from the KBO and Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league must meet certain service-time requirements before they can be posted. MLB teams then are free to negotiate with those players, with their old teams receiving a posting fee based on the player's contract value.
Here's the breakdown of the posting fee tiers:
- Contract worth less than $25 million: 20% of contract value
- Contract worth $25 million to $50 million: $5 million plus 17.5% of amount over $25 million
- Contract worth more than $50 million: $9.275 million plus 15% of amount over $50 million
Kim, 25, has spent his entire KBO career with the Heroes. In parts of eight seasons, he's hit .301/.361/.398 with 34 home runs and 196 stolen bases. It's fair to write that his game is based more around contact than power, and that he's a capable basestealer and defender with good speed.
Kim would become the latest in a line of KBO players to make the leap to MLB, joining former Heroes teammates Ha-Seong Kim and Jung Hoo Lee.
Kim's name might sound familiar to close observers. That's because he received some praise back in the spring after partaking in an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. "Our scouts like their second baseman," manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including MLB's Jon Morosi.
It's unclear if the Dodgers would seriously pursue Kim this winter. They're already expected to have interest in a different promising international player: Japanese ace Roki Sasaki has been rumored as a candidate to be posted as well. Unlike Kim, Sasaki would be classified as an amateur free agent, limiting his earning potential.
