MLB rumors: Phillies trade former All-Star reliever to Royals, Padres land KBO star
Here's the latest from baseball's hot stove on Friday, Dec. 19
By
Dayn Perry
•
1 min read
The 2025-26 Major League Baseball offseason is ongoing, and with the Winter Meetings drifting farther behind us we're working our way deeper into the sport's offseason calendar. Among other things, the winter in baseball means a steady supply of rumors regarding free agent signings, trades, and the like. Speaking of which, you can find Friday's roundup just below.
Padres land KBO star Sung-Mun Song
The Padres have agreed to terms with infielder Sung-Mun Song out of Korea, Robert Murray of Fansided reports. The deal will pay Song roughly $13 million over three years, according to Francys Romero. Song, age 29, was posted for MLB teams in November.
Across parts of nine seasons in KBO, Korea's top professional circuit, Song batted .283/.347/.431. Over the last two seasons, however, Song reached new heights at the plate, and in 2025 for the Kiwoom Heroes he batted .315/.387/.530 with 26 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 144 games. He's been a primary third baseman for his pro career, but he also has time spent at second base and first base.
Royals acquire Strahm from Phillies
The Royals have acquired veteran lefty reliever Matt Strahm from the Phillies in exchange for right-hander Jonathan Bowlan. The Royals announced the deal on Friday.
Strahm is 34 and under contract for 2026 on a $4.5 million club option. For his career, he's pitched to a 126 ERA+ and an FIP of 3.56 in 395 appearances spread over 10 MLB seasons. He's reached new heights over the last two years, as Strahm in 2024 and 2025 combined had a 2.30 ERA with 149 strikeouts in 125 innings. He earned an All-Star appearance in 2024.
As for Bowlan, the 29-year-old right-hander has an ERA+ of 97 and an FIP of 4.86 across 37 MLB games. The vast majority of those appearances came in 2025, when he had an ERA of 3.86 and a K/BB ratio of 2.71 in 44 ⅓ innings for the Royals.
