Ha-Seong Kim to the San Francisco Giants? For the Giants, Kim is just about the perfect player for a number of reasons. He's great defensively. He's good friends with new SF Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee. Kim loved played under new Giants manager Bob Melvin. He plays shortstop, second, and third. Marco Luciano is unproven at shortstop and it would be great for the SF Giants to have a premium insurance plan like Kim in case Luciano doesn't take the job and run with it.
But what about from the Padres' perspective? Why would they trade Kim if he's become such a valuable player? There are legitimate reasons. Jake Cronenworth, whom the Padres extended prior to last season, is forced to play out of position at first base with Kim on the roster. San Diego is locked into Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts for the next decade, and Cronenworth for seven more seasons as well. Trading Kim, who has just one year remaining on his deal, would allow Cronenworth to recoup a lot of the value he loses by playing a far less premium position. San Diego could trade Kim to the Giants (or another team) while adding players at a position that's a more pressing need.
That's where some hypothetical deals come in between the SF Giants and the Pads. The Giants are flooded with outfielders on their 40-man roster, and the Padres, after trading away Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, are short on outfielders. The SF Giants also have a lot of young pitching available. Whether it's Michael Conforto or Mitch Haniger (with the Giants also sending money in the deal), LaMonte Wade Jr. or J.D. Davis, or some young pitching (or all of the above), there are reasons to believe that a Kim trade to the SF Giants is a real possibility. It certainly could make sense for both sides.
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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
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