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The Detroit Tigers are coming off a feel-good run in the 2024 MLB season. Although they were not able to go much deeper in the postseason, having been eliminated in the American League Divisional Series round by the Cleveland Guardians, that was still the first time that the Tigers played beyond the regular season since 2014.
Detroit can build on that newfound momentum with some moves in the offseason. One name that is being linked to Detroit of late is free agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim. The Tigers are said to be keeping an eye on the South Korean star, who just turned 29 years old last October.
“The Tigers have shown interest in infielder Ha-Seong Kim, as related by the Detroit Free Press’ Evan Petzold in a recent appearance on the Days Of Roar podcast,” wrote Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors.”
As noted as well by Polishuk, the Padres' divisional rival, the San Francisco Giants, could potentially be out of the running for Kim, considering that they just made a splash in the free-agent market to bolster their infield.
“The Blue Jays, Giants, and Kim’s former team the Padres have all been publicly connected to Kim this offseason, though it is fair to guess that San Francisco may be out of the running after signing Willy Adames,” added Polishuk.
There is some concern about Kim's health going into the 2025 season as he had surgery on his shoulder last September, but he is still expected to see action in the next campaign.
Ha-Seong Kim could be an upgrade for the Tigers' infield
Kim, who declined his end of a mutual option worth $7 million for the 2025 MLB season with the Padres, is coming off a down season. He hit .233/.330/.370 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs across 121 games and 470 plate appearances in the 2024 campaign with the Padres in which he also posted a 96 OPS+. In the two seasons prior, he had a batting line of 256/.338.391 and 106 OPS+ through 151 games.
However, Kim still seems like a worthy target for the Tigers, who have struggled to generate consistent offense from the shortstop position. In the 2024 season, Detroit was last in the big leagues with just a .190 shortstop batting average. Moreover, the Tigers are also dead last in that position in terms of OBP (.237), wOBA (.242) and wRC+ (55), per FanGraphs. Javier Baez, who played the most games in 2024 among Detroit shortstops, only went .184/.221/.294 during the entire campaign.
